Research

Purpose of Research

Doing research during your undergraduate years allows aspiring physicians to not only learn essential hands-on skills, but necessary skills that help build a student into a strong applicant. Skills such as learning how to manage your time, the ability to appropriately understand research papers, and working as a team with others are just a few of the appealing reasons to join research.

How to show interest to a Professor about their research in hopes of joining

One way students have found success in reaching out to labs and joining is:

1. Use your school’s faculty research webpages to explore the research faculty at your campus and their research projects.                                                                                                                                      Example- UC Merced Faculty Lab Page 
2. Once you have found a faculty advisor whose research interests you, examine their latest publications.
3. Your goal now is to familiarize yourself with their work before you email them and request to set up a meeting about their research.
4. Go to the meeting with questions on one of their publications and show the professor that you are deeply interested in their work by doing so. 
5. If the question has not been brought up by the end of the meeting, now is your time to ask the faculty about the possibility of joining their next lab meeting to get a better understanding of their lab dynamic and the work they do. 
6. Attend the lab meeting. Ask questions if you have any to show your interest. After the meeting, send an email thanking the professor. In the same email, talk about how you found the work intriguing and would like to be a part of the team! 

Why does this method work? 

This approach shows the professor that you are not only highly interested in doing research, but you have a sense of the topic and field you are looking to join. Many students do not find the importance of doing this, which lowers their chances of entering a lab. 

• Programs/Internships:
  • Undergraduate Research Opportunities (UROC)
  • 
  • CREST Fellows Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program 
  • CCBM Summer Internship Program 
  • Natural Sciences Faculty Research
  • TUSCEB (Training Undergrads in Stem Cell Engineering and Biology) 
  • Psychological Sciences Faculty Research
• Lab Positions:
  • Handshake through UCM
• Clubs and Chapters at UC Merced
  • ASBMB (The American Society Of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology )-on instagram @asbmbucmerced

• Valley Children Non Clinical Internships
• EYE-Q Visionary Student Internship
• UCSF Pre-medical Surgical Internship
• Biology: https://csm.fresnostate.edu/biology/research/index.html
• Chemistry/Biochemistry: https://csm.fresnostate.edu/chemistry/research/index.html
• Psychology: https://csm.fresnostate.edu/psych/research/index.html
• Academic Research Associates Program (ARA) program: https://fresno.ucsf.edu/emergency-medicine-residency/ara

• NIH PREP Post Bacc Research
• ASBMB Research :contains summer research opportunities, travel scholarships, and undergraduate research scholarships students can apply for!
• UCSF Student Research Visitor
• AAMC Summer Undergraduate Research
• Co-op/Internships and Summer Research Opportunities in Biomedical Research and for Pre-Medical Studies Students
• KGI Summer Programs
• Summer Health Professions Education Program
• At UCSF: Search “Junior Specialist”-UCSF Junior Specialist and "Staff Research Associate"-https://sjobs.brassring.com/TGnewUI/Search/Home/Home?partnerid=6495&siteid=5861#home