What to Do?

[edithuman]

Hello,

I am just starting my project and I have begun emailing several university professors in search of a mentor. Since I am still in the process of reading on my topic and brainstorming possible research ideas, what should I do once I find a professor who will allow me to work in his/her lab? Will he/she just assign me things to do? I just don't get what I can do given the opportunity to work in a lab if I don't have a feasible project plan.

Thanks!

[tdaly]

Hi edithuman,

Have you checked out the articles that Science Buddies has about working with mentors and choosing a project for advanced science competitions? If not, I highly recommend these ones:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ring.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... tors.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... 2008.shtml

Once you've read them (or if you already have), post back and we can chat about more specifics. Those articles are really very, very good for getting general advice and pointers about your current questions.

[edithuman]

Hi Terik,

Thank you so much for the reply! I have read the articles that you suggested and they are indeed super helpful. So thanks for your contribution in making them! I wanted to ask you, though, is it better to approach a potential mentor just knowing your field of interest and their research (but not a project hypothesis/idea) and ask for an opportunity to work in their lab (to help them out in their research), or should I have a hypothesis for a project ready and email a mentor for help to work on it? Thanks.

[tdaly]

Hi edithuman,

To start with, I'm somewhat biased because of how I found a mentor when I was in high school. I've been on three sides of this question now--as a high school student looking for a mentor, as a science fair administrator connecting students and mentors, and as a mentor to students.

As a high school student, I first planned the question I wanted to investigate and the hypothesis I sought to test. I wrote up a formal proposal, with an introduction, background information, question, and hypothesis. To the extent I was able, I also included information on the methods I thought were needed, but I didn't really have the know-how to flesh that section out. I had a vague idea of what kind of apparatus I would need to do my experiment--but I didn't know if what I was looking for even existed! As a result, the "procedure" section of my project proposal said things like "measure the composition of rocks before experiment", without specifying how the analyses would be done.

With a plan in hand, I researched various professors' websites until I found some that looked like they might be a good match. Several told me flat-out no (they'd say things like, "go to college and get a degree", etc.). Some gave me helpful tidbits of information, such as techniques I could use to measure the chemical composition of the samples I would need analyzed. Other people suggested getting in touch with so-and-so at such-and-such a place. Finally, I connected with the professor, who we'll call Dr. Smith, who could help me get my experiment done. In my emails, I always included my project proposal. Dr. Smith told me that he was willing to help me because I had a specific plan. If memory serves, his email said something like, "I needed to know that before going further". So, based on my experience as a high school student, I think it's a good idea to have a hypothesis in hand, and then do research to find a mentor who can help test it. Expect that a lot of people will say "no", and keep asking around. On the other hand, I didn't ever try the other option as a high school student, so it might work for some people.

Now for another perspective: For several years I served on the board of one of the ISEF-affiliated science fairs. We had students contact us for helping finding mentors. The students we were able to help most effectively were those who knew what they wanted to do. Various committee members had relationships with potential mentors, and could pair a student with a mentor. But, if the student didn't know specifically what she or he wanted to work on, it was challenging to find mentors willing to work with the student. So, my experience from the administrative side of things also indicates that approaching a mentor with a specific plan leads to good results.

My third perspective, as a mentor, also supports the idea of approaching a mentor with specific project idea(s) in mind. If a student comes to me asking for me to suggest projects for them, I'll point them to something like the Topic Selection Wizard. Even if they say something like, "I want to work on stem cells", it's difficult to help them. But, if a student comes to me with two or three specific hypotheses they want to test, and if they have a rough idea for what it will take to test them, then it is very rewarding to sit down with the student and discuss his or her ideas. We can then select the idea with the most potential and start fleshing out the details of how the experiment will work.

So, my advice is this: identify one or two hypotheses you want to test. Then, make a rough plan of what you think needs to be done to test them. That plan will start to form in your mind as you do background research. Write up a draft experimental plan. Once you find a mentor, she or he can help you fill in the details; they will have the expertise to do so. Then, reach out to potential mentors; having a plan shows them that you've thought things through and are committed to the project.