New Researcher Guide

Finding out what research areas really spark your interest is the first step to a successful research experience. Here are some tips on how to find out which areas really speak to you.

1. Attend Poster Sessions and Conferences: Poster sessions and academic conferences are a great way to expose yourself to the wide variety of research going on near and far. These sessions will help you to narrow down your interests to more specific fields of study and as you talk with presenters, you can also get an idea for what the research experience is really like in that area. There are several local poster sessions and conferences which makes attending one of these a breeze. Find out more about these event here! 
2. Attend Seminars: Departments on campus often have frequent seminars and guest lecturers on a wide range of topics throughout the year that are generally open to all students. These events are perfect opportunities to hear from professionals in the field and learn about their in-progress research.
3. Talk to your professors: Was there an especially interesting lecture topic in one of your classes? Tell your professor! Expressing your interest to faculty shows them you are motivated to learn more and they are excellent resources to connect you to research opportunities.
4. Volunteer: By volunteering in a research lab, especially early in your undergraduate career, you can gain a great deal of valuable experience and also decide if research is right for you. 

Choosing a faculty mentor is an important step in ensuring a positive research experience. Below are some tips on how to search for faculty mentors with similar research interests.

1. Department Websites: Hopefully by this point you have narrowed your research interests down enough to know what department or field you are most interested in. All campus departments have faculty directories that generally have links to their lab websites and/or their CVs. You can browse the faculty members and learn about what they are primarily researching and where their interests are focused. 
2. Professors: Perhaps you are enrolled in a class that is covering topics you are really interested in and you'd like to know if there are research opportunities related to these topics. Talk to the professor during office hours if they themselves research in this field or if they know other faculty on campus that do.
3. Center for Student Research: You are always welcome to email us or come by the Center if you'd like help navigating department pages or faculty CVs as you search for the right research mentor.    
4. Rank Your Options: As you researched possible faculty mentors, you may have found several with research interests that align with yours. It can be helpful to order this list into tiers based on how enthusiastic you are about that faculty's research. 

   First tier: You are absolutely enthusiastic about the research that the professor is conducting. You will be happy to be in his/her lab.
   Second tier: You are interested in learning more about the research done in the lab but may not be so enthusiastic about it.
   Third tier: Few faculty members who sounds interesting to work with.

Reaching out to faculty and finding a lab is the next step in beginning your research journey. This process can take some time, so it is important to plan ahead. The following resources can help you prepare.

Compose Your Emails: Email is generally the best way to reach faculty about possible research opportunities in their lab. It is important to make sure the email isn't too long, but still contains important details about you, your experience, and your interest in this specific lab. The email should have:

• Who you are (name, year, major, minor, any relevant experience)
• Why you are interested in a particular lab (it is useful to specify here the faculty's original research and/or their publications you found intriguing)
• What you are looking for (volunteer, for-credit, or paid position) 
• You can also see cover letter and resume templates here that are excellent guides to communicating the important information to faculty.
• Sometimes faculty take a little while to respond to emails. DON'T GIVE UP! A friendly follow-up email is perfectly acceptable if you haven't heard back in a few weeks.  
• Need more guidance on how to email potential faculty mentors? Check out these websites!
  • The Do’s and Don’ts of Contacting Professors about Research
  • How to Email a Research Professor
  • Email Etiquette
  • How to Write Your Professor

As always, we at the Center for Student Research are happy to look over email drafts, give you pointers on creating your resume, and connecting you with any other resources you might want to help make your research here at UCCS a success!