If you are interested in doing independent research with a local scientist, getting started can be overwhelming. Below are a series of frequently-asked-questions that we receive from students who have never done research. We suggest reviewing all of the following – once you have an understanding of how the course works, you can start moving forward on finding a lab to join.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to do “independent research”?
What are the prerequisites for the course?
When should I start trying to find a lab?
How does this count towards my major?
What are my first steps?
How do I narrow my search?
How do I contact a professor?
How many labs should I contact?
How do I know if I have enough time to do research?
What does it mean to do Independent Research?
One of the opportunities that you have at Rice is being able to work directly with world-class scientists as an undergraduate. Local laboratories are willing to host Rice students in something similar to an apprenticeship – you volunteer to help out with work in the lab in exchange for gaining real-life scientific research experience. Over time, you can move from handling simple technical tasks to leading the design of your own experiments and contributing new knowledge to scientific journals.
To help with this process, Rice has formalized independent research with several different courses. For biosciences and neuroscience, those courses are respectively BIOS 310 and NEUR 310. These courses allow us to count your independent research as credit hours. Additionally, these courses provide structure and support to help you get the most out of your time in lab.
What are the prerequisites?
The prerequisites for BIOS 310 are BIOC 112, FWIS 115, NSCI 120, BIOS 211, BIOS 212 or BIOS 213. Suggested prerequisites for NEUR 310 are CAAM 210 and BIOS 212. Instructor permission is also required to register. To receive credit, a student must participate in a laboratory-, field- or bioinformatics-based biosciences research project (for BIOS 310) or a laboratory or computational neuroscience research project (for NEUR 310). Credit cannot be received for physician shadowing or clinical research. (For those requiring credit for physician shadowing, clinical research, internships in biotech, science education or any other biological or neuroscience-related experiential learning opportunities, see BIOS 299.)
When should I start trying to find a lab?
Start early! Begin your search the semester before you intend to register. It may take multiple contacts before you can find a lab home. If you plan to work in a Texas Medical Center (TMC) lab outside of Rice (more on that here), you will most likely need to complete various applications, immunization forms, and other paperwork as well as undergo any required training before stepping foot in the lab. (In some TMC institutions, esp. MDACC, it can take 4 months to process completed paperwork.) The entire process of finding an advisor, meeting with them selecting a project, and completing the required paperwork (if non-Rice) can take from weeks to months.
How does this count towards my major?
BIOS 310
To count towards a Biosciences major, BIOS 310 must be taken for at least 3 credits each semester it is taken. BIOS 310 can count as one required lab course in the BA in Biosciences or, if taken three semesters for at least 3-credits/semester, can fulfill the 9-credit research requirement for the BS in Biosciences. BIOS 310 cannot substitute for any lecture electives in the Biosciences major.
NEUR 310
To count towards the NEUR major, you need to take NEUR 310 for at least 3 credits. You may count NEUR 310 twice for the major – once as a Project-Based Laboratory Course, and once as an Elective. You may not shift credit hours between semesters (i.e., 4 hours in the fall, 2 hours in the spring only counts toward the major as 1 course).
What are my first steps?
You need to decide on what you want from your research experience. Read the questions below and think them through:
- Are you looking for a job for extra money, do you want research experience, or are you hoping for both?
- Would you prefer to perform mostly laboratory maintenance or do you want to be performing research as part of an ongoing project in the lab?
- Do you want to work for pay (including work study) and/or course credit?
In some labs, paid positions will be lab maintenance and actual research will only be available for students working for credit during the academic year. However, many labs offer some paid research positions over the summer.
Once you know your goal, you should check out our page on “Finding Research Opportunities“. We have a series of links that will guide to to most (but not all!) of the potential opportunities available at Rice and in the Texas Medical Center. Additionally, you should follow the NEUR Opportunities email list or Biosciences Opportunities Canvas list (click the links to sign up). Throughout the year, we advertise labs that are interested in having students.
After compiling a list of potential labs, you can discuss your research interests and goals with your academic advisor in the Biosciences Department and ask which prospective lab might be a good match. We can help you critically think about finding the best match, and perhaps give you insight into questions you might not have thought to ask.
Beyond simply searching the web and talking with instructors, talking with your fellow students is an excellent way to find out less obvious information. For example, while a given research professor (usually called a principal investigator or PI) may be an excellent researcher, they may not be the best mentor for undergrads. Personality also plays a role in lab selection – a hands off PI may be excellent for some students but terrible for others. Juniors and seniors (as well as grad students) who have worked in the lab before can provide this type of information – buy them a cup of coffee and listen to what they have to say.
How do I narrow my search?
Think about what sort of research might interest you or would further your educational goals. Research approaches are often divided into the categories of basic and applied research. While many labs participate in both approaches and the lines between the two are often blurred, it is helpful to think about these distinctions when directing your search. Basic research seeks to increase understanding of nature and not specifically to create something, to cure a disease, etc. In contrast, applied research is directed toward solving particular medical or technological problems, and often has obvious commercial applications. Regardless of your long-term interests, basic research labs can offer a broad view of biology and provide the intellectual foundation on which applied research is based. The Biosciences department at Rice is primarily a basic research department, although many of our faculty members have applied research interests as well. Within the broad area of basic research in biology there are a number of fields in which you can participate. For example, the Biosciences department includes faculty performing research in developmental biology, neuroscience, cell biology, microbiology, genetics, biochemistry, protein structure, metabolism, environmental, synthetic biology, ecological, and evolutionary biology. Remember that most applied research is a subset of an area of basic research. For example: cancer results from defects in normal cell and developmental biology; diabetes is a defect of metabolism/cellular biochemistry; infectious disease occurs at the intersection of microbiology, cell biology and ecology; antibiotic resistance arises from natural selection; prion diseases result from a defect in protein structure; and biofuels engineering requires an understanding of basic plant or bacterial metabolism.
Do not be overwhelmed by your choices. If you have not developed a preference for any particular area of research, you still can narrow your search by the recommendations of your peers or by viewing the research summaries of the faculty in the Biosciences department.
How do I contact a professor (a.k.a. principal investigator, head of a lab)?
Do your homework. Most positions are not advertised, but are filled from among the students who contact the professor. Read about the professor’s work and, if possible, talk with people working in the lab to get a feel for the personality and expectations of this individual and the lab. Write a brief, yet personal email to the professor. Do not send a mass email to multiple faculty members or your email will be considered spam and ignored. Try contacting two faculty per week. Follow up if you don’t get a response but then move on to another two if you still don’t hear back.
Your introductory email conveys an important first impression and can influence how easy it will be for you to find a lab home. All heads of research labs will have either a PhD or an MD degree and should be addressed as “Dr.” or “Prof.” and not “Ms., Mrs., or Mr.” In your email, tell the professor who you are (name, year at Rice), some indication that you are interested in biology/neuroscience (e.g. “majoring in Neuroscience”), why you are contacting them in particular (you are interested in their research on X), and what you want from them (would they be willing to talk to you about potential undergraduate research positions in their labs). You can (briefly) include mention of any relevant course work or prior research experience, even if it was in high school. Your application will be viewed with greater favor if you are considering a long-term experience and you are motivated by scientific interest. If you are considering graduate school after Rice, include this interest in the letter. Your letter should be short, to the point, and convey genuine scientific interest (don’t say “I need research for my major/medical school”). If you are a seeking a research experience in support of a medical school application, only seek research experiences in which you will be intellectually engaged and motivated, even if this research is not within the natural sciences. If you are not truly engaged in your research experience it may hurt rather than help your medical school application.
How many labs should I contact?
Getting into a lab is partly timing and luck, so do not be discouraged if your first efforts are not successful. You will probably need to contact several labs, one or two at a time, to find a position. If you know someone in a lab where you want to work, ask that person to put in a good word for you. If you are not successful after several attempts, you may wish to ask for feedback on your contact letter from the BIOS 310 or NEUR 310 instructors.
How do I know if I have enough time in my schedule to do undergraduate research?
Research requires quality time. If you will not have at least a few free mornings or afternoons in your schedule, you will probably not be able to dedicate quality time to your research. You should design your research schedule in blocks of at least 3 hours each. Longer blocks are better, and most of these blocks will need to be during daylight hours when your research mentor is more likely to be present. Don’t try to find time for research in one-hour chunks between classes. If you are already carrying 15 or more hours, you should think seriously about waiting a semester or eliminating another course from your schedule before enrolling in BIOS or NEUR 310.
Visit the page, Registering for Research Credit, if you have found a lab and are ready to register!