THE INTANGIBLES OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

1. THE INTANGIBLES OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Jason H. Haga, Ph.D. Department of Bioengineering Institute for Engineering in Medicine

2. OBJECTIVES Provide tips/advice on: Approaching principle investigators (PI) Applying to summer research programs Caveat: There is no single right way to do this Your "mileage" may vary

3. ABOUT ME Presented at multiple national and international conferences Mentored over 100 undergraduates in laboratory research Currently a mentor for AMGEN, RSRI, and PRIME Performed undergraduate research at UCSD

4. APPROACHING PIS How to Network at a Conference

5. SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES Experimental Biology (EB) American Heart Association (AHA) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) UCSD Summer Research Conference

6. WHAT IS A CONFERENCE? A scientific conference is a venue where scientists can come together to present results and exchange ideas Attendance varies (100 to over 30,000 people) Usually include presentations, posters, workgroups, and industry exhibits Some type of social program

10. APPROACHING SCIENTISTS Assess the situation and react appropriately (formal, casual, party) The best start is often the science and all scientists like to talk about their work Address the scientist appropriately Dr. not Mr. Introduce yourself with your name, lab and where you work Speak clearly and use eye contact Good opening: �I really enjoyed your presentation on�" "Please explain your poster�"

11. THE CONVERSATION Pay attention and be a good listener Ask questions for clarification Some effort may be needed to get a word in Contribute something to the conversation Try to make specific comments about the work Do not try to show off Share ideas Use discretion Word any criticisms carefully

12. KEEPING IN TOUCH Follow-up after meeting people: email, phone, card, send info Strengthen relationships with people you meet - suggest another meeting Remember people you meet and the work they do Some connections take effort or be impossible to develop Personalities of people vary widely from nice to real jerks

13. APPLYING TO SUMMER PROGRAMS

14. GENERAL APPLICATION TIPS When choosing a program consider: What type of research interests you? What are you prepared to do? What are your long term goals? How does your personality fit the lab/work atmosphere? Spelling Dr. not Mr. Ask professors for letter of recommendation Similar to approaching them at a conference Include resume/curriculum vitae, personal statement, proposal, etc.

15. HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PROPOSAL? Research is "investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws" (Merriam-Webster Online, 2011). Research discovers something new It is an "organic process" that evolves with each finding

16. PROPOSAL FORMAT Lab report format Title Introduction (hypothesis/goal/purpose) Methods Results Conclusion Include a timeline of objectives to be accomplished

17. THE PROCESS Review relevant references Start writing � blank page is most difficult Use scientific language ex: "After giving the drug, we saw that blood pressure went down." vs: "After administration of the drug, it was observed that blood pressure decreased." Hypothesis generation takes practice Potential results/problems Potential conclusions i.e. what does this research contribute Send to mentor for review and suggestions

18. DURING THE RESEARCH Understand the long term goals of the project Ask questions Be sure you understand what is asked of you Take notes and pay attention to them Leave everything in the lab (lab notebooks, reagents) Time management Use �wait� time to update your records, read papers, or prep for another experiment Plan/organize your research and extracurricular activities Research is a team effort (respect and recognize others)

19. COMPLETING THE PROGRAM Summarize your work in written and oral forms Lab report format Helpful for applying to graduate schools or jobs Leave information and reagents in good order Recognize that there is no guarantee that your work will be published, but the learning experience is invaluable

20. EXPECTATIONS

21. MENTOR EXPECTATIONS Intellectual interest Prepare Contact your assigned mentor Read background material on the project Perform Strive to make each experiment the best one Complete the program and all requirements Do not accept a position if you cannot commit 100% Present Summarize your work in a short paper/poster/presentation

22. MENTEE EXPECTATIONS Research is difficult Frequent communication with your mentor and program director Extensive training and explanation Prevents equipment breaking Facilitates performance of assays No question is a dumb question Learn something

23. CAN I DO THIS? Christopher Lau PRIME 2009 alumni Visualization of Virtual Screening Results on Tiled Display Walls: ViewDock TDW Published in Bioinformatics, 2010 Website and links at UCSF Presented at EB 2010

24. A BETTER QUESTION� What can I contribute to the body of scientific information that is out there?

25. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dr. Peter Arzberger Dr. Shu Chien All of my undergraduates

26. LINKS Academic Enrichment Programs, UCSD aep.ucsd.edu Undergraduate Research, UCSD ugresearch.ucsd.edu Viewdock TDW www.tdw-prime.webs.com PRIME prime.ucsd.edu Amgen aep.ucsd.edu/amgen