Working as an undergraduate in a lab on campus will look good on your resume, and will help you connect core concepts across classes and departments. The process of getting into a lab can feel like an intimidating, unknown goal. It’s broken down here into steps that you can work on over the course of your term.
Step 1: Figure Out What You Like
It’s crucial that you have an idea of type of research you want to do. Try to get an idea of what piques your interest. Go to guest lectures on campus, read Nature, watch TED Talks, read science books on the Amazon best seller list; whatever. The point is to be like a sponge: absorb as much as you can and you’ll naturally find yourself drawn to certain subjects.
Step 2: Find Some People Who Like it Too
UVic has clubs for each scientific major. Getting involved with these groups will allow you to learn more about your interests and meet students who are already working in a lab and who know if any labs on campus are hiring. Surrounding yourself with people who are interested what you’re interested in will keep you excited and in the know about new research in the field. You may also be able to find out which faculty member is the clubs “sponsor” or “advisor”, which brings us to step 3.
Step 3: Find a Professor Who’s Doing Something Related to Your Interest
You probably won’t be able to find a professor who’s researching exactly what you’re interested in. However, that isn’t your goal. Your goal is to find a research lab where you can learn and begin to understand common techniques and theories in your field of interest. You may want to work in a very specific field of genetic engineering, but any lab where you have to figure out how to use restriction enzymes is going to be incredibly helpful to you.
Getting any hands-on experience and truly grounding your understanding of the basics is what’s going to help you get a solid start.
UVic Science departments have individual pages for each professor that describes the type of research they do, the classes they teach, and provide links to recently published papers by the professor. Read these pages. These will be immensely helpful in quickly figuring out whom you do and don’t want to contact.
Step 4: Get a Hold of a Few Professors and See if They Have Lab Space
Once you’ve chosen a few professors, send them an email expressing interest in “sitting down and talking” to give them the impression that you want to meet with them in person – say whatever feels natural to you.
Chances are, you aren’t going to hear back after the first email, but don’t be discouraged! You know how busy your semester is? Now multiply that by responsibilities like applying for research funding, having a family, supervising grad students, and planning lectures and you’ll understand why your email may slip through the cracks. So email them again! And if they don’t respond to that, call and leave a brief voice mail. You want to be tactful, but don’t give up after one email. Don’t be afraid to persist until you get an explicit answer as to whether or not they’re willing to talk.