The Scientista Foundation
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Team
  • My Campus
    • Find My Campus
    • Start A Chapter >
      • Chapter Application
      • Chapter Application (In Progress)
  • The Periodical
    • Career Blog
    • Plan Your Education
    • Lifestyle Blog
    • Women in Science News
    • DiscovHER Science
    • Get Inspired
  • Events
    • Events
    • Symposium 2019
    • Symposium Testimonials
  • Join
    • Subscribe!
    • Internships
    • Test Membership
  • Sponsorship
    • Our Sponsors
    • Sponsor Scientista!
    • University Membership
    • Donate
  • happymed
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Team
  • My Campus
    • Find My Campus
    • Start A Chapter >
      • Chapter Application
      • Chapter Application (In Progress)
  • The Periodical
    • Career Blog
    • Plan Your Education
    • Lifestyle Blog
    • Women in Science News
    • DiscovHER Science
    • Get Inspired
  • Events
    • Events
    • Symposium 2019
    • Symposium Testimonials
  • Join
    • Subscribe!
    • Internships
    • Test Membership
  • Sponsorship
    • Our Sponsors
    • Sponsor Scientista!
    • University Membership
    • Donate
  • happymed
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

9/16/2012 8 Comments

Part Four: The First (Lab) Meeting

[originally published 01/02/12]
By Stephanie Wang
lab meeting lab interview scientista women in science
Learn how to make a great impression when you go in to meet the lab!
In Part Three: Love Letters to Labs, you learned how to send the perfect interest letter. After having written and sent an email of interest to a few PIs, sit back, relax, and wait for responses.  Don’t be discouraged if none respond back immediately.  It is important to understand that these professors, who head laboratories, teach classes, and have lives of their own, are usually quite busy and have hundreds of emails entering their inboxes every day.  I would generally give about a week to ten days for a PI to respond.  If he or she still hasn’t gotten back to you, do not be afraid to be persistent.  

This is one thing I learned while contacting Amy Wagers, the PI of the stem cell lab I work in now.  I was extremely interested in Wagers’ aging research, yet she didn’t initially respond to my enthusiastic letter.  I waited an entire week and a half, nervously, before sending another email reminding her of my interest.  This happened again as we corresponded, and each time I sent her a reminder email to meet with her, I felt guilty for being the annoying undergrad, waving furiously in the background to get a renowned PI’s attention.  However, as I learned from my academic advisor, it is the PI’s responsibility to at least give you an answer to your request for a position in his/her lab, whether it is yes, I can take you or no, I do not have space. Later, Amy would tell me that that particular week had been extremely busy, both in the lab and in terms of her personal life.  After having written and sent an email of interest to a few PIs, sit back, relax, and wait for responses.  Don’t be discouraged if none respond back immediately.  It is important to understand that these professors, who head laboratories, teach classes, and have lives of their own, are usually quite busy and have hundreds of emails entering their inboxes every day.  I would generally give about a week to ten days for a PI to respond.  If he or she still hasn’t gotten back to you, do not be afraid to be persistent.  

This is one thing I learned while contacting Amy Wagers, the PI of the stem cell lab I work in now.  I was extremely interested in Wagers’ aging research, yet she didn’t initially respond to my enthusiastic letter.  I waited an entire week and a half, nervously, before sending another email reminding her of my interest.  This happened again as we corresponded, and each time I sent her a reminder email to meet with her, I felt guilty for being the annoying undergrad, waving furiously in the background to get a renowned PI’s attention.  However, as I learned from my academic advisor, it is the PI’s responsibility to at least give you an answer to your request for a position in his/her lab, whether it is yes, I can take you or no, I do not have space. Later, Amy would tell me that that particular week had been extremely busy, both in the lab and in terms of her personal life.  

Picture
Tip: Attend a lab meeting to see if you fit in!
A PI responded to my letter of interest and wants to meet with me! How do I make a good first impression?

Great!  Depending on the size of the lab, you may or may not be meeting the actual PI of the lab.  If a lab is particularly big, the PI may have delegated you to meet a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow instead.  Don’t feel slighted by this; it’s very typical that in large laboratories, the PI rarely has time to develop relationships with those who work in his/her lab. Either way, the interviewer will likely explain the details of the research project that is currently of interest to him/her as well as the expectations that he or she has for you.  Prepare an answer to why you are interested in their lab in particular.  Read up on one or two of the publications—knowledge of their current work will come in handy during the conversation.  On the other hand, also prepare some questions you’d like answers to from the lab. 

Some things you may want to know about before making a decision to join a lab are:

1.      What are the time commitments for working in the lab during the school year? What about during the summer?
2.      Tell me about an average day in the lab. 
3.      Are you interested in mentoring a thesis project? (This question is for those desiring to pursue a thesis in the future). 
4.      Do you have any other expectations?

The interviewer may also give you a tour of the lab. Thus, the first meeting is a time for you to see whether or not your interests line up with the labs’ and also to imagine yourself working there (for many long hours!).  

Another recommendation I have is to listen in on a lab meeting.  These often happen once a week, usually at the beginning of the day.  Usually, lab members sit around a table, sharing and updating the entire group on lab issues, as well as hearing about each others’ research. Sitting in on a meeting will give you a sense of the lab dynamic. Do you see yourself fitting in?  It’s also a great way to meet the rest of the lab. 

At this point, the decision is up to you!  Remember, as an undergraduate researcher, being in a laboratory requires commitment and sacrifice—much time must be reserved for research that could be spent doing other activities. Choosing a lab can be a difficult process, but ultimately, once a good match has been made, both parties benefit, much to everyone’s satisfaction.  Choose wisely, follow your passions, and know that enjoying your research experience involves not only the science at hand but also good relationships with those in the lab.   

Beginning a new relationship is always exciting, and starting a relationship with your research is no different.  I wish you luck in all your scientific endeavors!  


Share

Comments?

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

8 Comments
Deanna Ratnikova link
2/6/2012 03:39:44 am

I really enjoyed your 4-part series on getting into research as a student. If you would be interested in writing a similar article for the Gazette (the Women and Minorities in Physics newsletter), please email me at <[email protected]>. Information about the Gazette can be found here: www.aps.org/programs/women/reports/gazette/

Reply
카지노사이트 link
1/4/2022 07:31:02 am

It's an awesome article for all the online
people; they will obtain benefit from it I am sure.

Reply
바카라사이트 link
1/4/2022 07:31:32 am

Incredible points. Sound arguments. Keep up the great effort.

Reply
토토 link
1/4/2022 07:32:58 am

This is a topic which is near to my heart... Cheers!
Exactly where are your contact details though?

Reply
토토 link
1/4/2022 07:33:45 am

Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this
write-up and also the rest of the site is very good.

Reply
토토사이트 link
10/20/2022 12:07:54 am

I am so lucky to finally find this article. I am a person who deals with kind of this too. This article has huge information for me, and well prepared for people who need about this. I am sure this must be comepletly useful for many people in the world.

Reply
celebrity heights link
5/17/2023 03:19:13 am

This helps me a lot, thank you so much!

Reply
온라인바둑이 link
4/30/2024 05:59:22 am

Hello there, just became alert to your weblog thru Google,
and located that it’s truly informative.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    What's Hot

    scientista foundation

    Get the Digest

    scientista digest mailing list
    Close

    About the Blogger

    scientista career women in science
    Stephanie M. Wang Scientista Blogger
    Stephanie M. Wang is a Chemical and Physical Biology major at Harvard College, Class of 2013. She is a pre-med who just can't get enough of the hard sciences. She loves learning new things, frisbee, poetry, every kind of apple, people. Stephanie blogs regularly for the Scientista Foundation: Find her blog here! 

    Scientista Foundation About Stephanie Wang

    More From Stephanie

    women in science career

    RSS Feed


About

Mission  
Team


Connect

E-Newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
​
Instagram
Contact 


Press

All Press
Harvard Crimson
Harvard Gazette
Bostinnovation.com

Partner

Our Sponsors
Sponsorship Inquiries
​Partnership Inquiries
The Scientista Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved © 2011-2021 | Based in NY | [email protected]
The Network for Pre-Professional Women in Science and Engineering
The Scientista Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) -- Donate!

Photo from Evil Erin