Professor Richard A. GrossCenter for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary ScienceProfessor: Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyProfessor of Biomedical Engineeringgrossr@rpi.edu October 21 2014

Undergraduate Research

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Learn what you like or don’t like, critical in making career decisions (e.g. grad school/work place)

Become more competitive for future opportunities.

Help you establish a network for landing a job or getting into graduate school. You become part of a group with alumni and connections.

Earn some money during the summers.

Undergraduate Research Experiences

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Undergraduate Research Experiences

• Real-world and hands-on research experience

• Work in a research group, become a member of a team, build communications skills, learn how to mentor new students in the lab.

• Your faculty research advisor will not only help in guiding your research but will become your champion as you apply for grad school or a job.

• Work on projects with worldwide impact• Apply knowledge gained in the classroom

to actual problems

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• Gain leadership, teambuilding and critical thinking skills

• Publish as an undergraduate!• Receive course credits• Attend a conference, give a presentation

at a national meeting in your field.• Give presentations at group meetings

(build your presentation skills)• ALL THIS BUILDS YOUR RESUME

Undergraduate Research Experiences

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Finding a Research Advisor

Look at the web pages to identify faculty who are working in areas that fit your interests.

If possible, network with other undergraduate students who may have worked in one or more of the research groups you are interested in. Find out what they liked/did not like about the experience.

When you are asked in to meet a potential advisor, make sure to meet other members in the group and find out if you feel comfortable, are other group members interested in working with you? Is the work schedule sufficiently flexible?

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Once you have decided on a first choice, send a short email to the faculty member with the following information, i) your degree program, ii) Soph, Junior (Hopefully not a senior), iii) your general areas of interest, iv) when can you meet to discuss potential research opportunities.

Don’t be afraid to knock on the potential advisors door and ask if you can schedule some time to talk about undergraduate research.

Finding a Research Advisor

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Motivated students that really want to do this, your reason should not be resume padding but real interest in growing your skills and doing the research.

Not just a summer experience, willing to work during semesters as well.

It shouldn’t be about the money. Some faculty members will have more financial resources to support you and some will not.

Finding a Research Advisor

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QUESTIONS???