*Currently all undergraduate opportunities have been filled*
Hello prospective Jumbos! Thank you for your interest in the lab. Working in a lab as an undergraduate was how I started my journey and I care deeply about giving everyone of my team members (undergrads included!) a fun and enriching experience in the lab. Please read over the information on this page carefully before reaching out about opportunities.
Requirements
To be considered to work in the lab, undergraduate researchers are required to:
The reasons for this are:
As for the credits, I believe in compensating people for their work. Regardless of whether the skills your obtain from being in the lab are directly applicable to your future career, you should be compensated for your time and efforts. As you are working towards your degree, credits are my way of guaranteeing you receive something beneficial from your time in the lab. Note: do not enroll without my explicit written consent.
If you meet the requirements and are interested in working in the lab, proceed to the Research inquiry Process tab for the Undergraduate Research Interest Form
- Be able to work in the lab for at least 1 year (ideally more)
- Commit to a minimum of 10 hours within the work week (Monday-Friday), in continuous 3-4 hours blocks of time, between the hours of 8AM and 6PM.
- Have 2 credits available in your course load to enroll in Bio 93/94.
The reasons for this are:
- Training students from scratch takes a large time commitment from the mentor to do it properly. Moreover, to have a fulfilling experience, the goal is to achieve independence - this requires repetition and time. As an undergraduate, your main priority is your education; so it will take longer to accumulate the hours of practice needed for independence than it would for someone whose priority is working in the lab.
- Many of the techniques done in a wet lab require ~3-4 hours to do and/or are completed across multiple days. So in order to gain the experience, you need to physically be in the lab to do the work.
- You will be working either directly with myself or with a member of the lab (not Beatrice). Being available between 8AM and 6PM covers the range of time where someone will be in lab. You might be thinking that you are independent and can work on your own. While that may be true in other aspects of your academic career, this is not true within the context of the Gardiner Lab because 1) you are not trained making this a safety issue, 2) if you have questions, people need to be around to help you, and 3) interacting with me and members of the lab are necessary for your professional develop as well as fostering my ability to write a stronger, positive letter of recommendation for you in the future (if you need one). If we do not interact, I do not know you well enough to write a letter of recommendation. As such, if your schedule does not currently allow this, you will unfortunately not be able to work in the lab. Please come back later when your time allows and you still fit the other requirements.
As for the credits, I believe in compensating people for their work. Regardless of whether the skills your obtain from being in the lab are directly applicable to your future career, you should be compensated for your time and efforts. As you are working towards your degree, credits are my way of guaranteeing you receive something beneficial from your time in the lab. Note: do not enroll without my explicit written consent.
If you meet the requirements and are interested in working in the lab, proceed to the Research inquiry Process tab for the Undergraduate Research Interest Form
Research Inquiry Process
Did you:
If you answered ‘no’ to any of the above questions and are still interested in gaining a research experience in the Gardiner lab, please complete these tasks before reaching out.
If you answered 'yes', please fill out the Undergraduate Research Interest Form. Filling out the form should occur regardless of whether there are active opportunities in the lab (we will reach out if one becomes available). If there are active opportunities, email Dr. Gardiner about your interest.
When opportunities are available, Dr. Gardiner will reach out to those who filled the Undergraduate Research Interest Form first. She will work to schedule a time to meet with you and get to know you further. In preparation, here are some of the questions Dr. Gardiner will ask you. Of course natural questions will arise during the conversation, including opportunities for you to ask your own.
- Read about the research on the lab website and determine that it is interesting to you (and can articulate why)?
- Read the requirements for undergraduate research and confirm that this works for your schedule?
- Read the resource on how to structure your email to Dr. Gardiner (including an example of what this would look like)?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of the above questions and are still interested in gaining a research experience in the Gardiner lab, please complete these tasks before reaching out.
If you answered 'yes', please fill out the Undergraduate Research Interest Form. Filling out the form should occur regardless of whether there are active opportunities in the lab (we will reach out if one becomes available). If there are active opportunities, email Dr. Gardiner about your interest.
When opportunities are available, Dr. Gardiner will reach out to those who filled the Undergraduate Research Interest Form first. She will work to schedule a time to meet with you and get to know you further. In preparation, here are some of the questions Dr. Gardiner will ask you. Of course natural questions will arise during the conversation, including opportunities for you to ask your own.
Resources
Writing an email to professors
I know it's tempting to use ChatGPT or other AI tools to help you write these emails. I promise you, while they "say" the right words, they all start to sound the same because they are missing a very important element: YOU! While one goal of the email is to introduce yourself, another is to give a glimpse at who you are as a person - the person we would be investing our time and energy into and the person I will want to champion for the duration of our working relationship.
If you've never written a formal email before, this WikiHow has some good tips!
Here is an overall breakdown of what should go into your email:
I know it's tempting to use ChatGPT or other AI tools to help you write these emails. I promise you, while they "say" the right words, they all start to sound the same because they are missing a very important element: YOU! While one goal of the email is to introduce yourself, another is to give a glimpse at who you are as a person - the person we would be investing our time and energy into and the person I will want to champion for the duration of our working relationship.
If you've never written a formal email before, this WikiHow has some good tips!
Here is an overall breakdown of what should go into your email:
|
Subject: Informative subject line giving an idea of what you're emailing about
Dear Professor/Dr. [Last Name], My name is [Your first and last name] and I am currently a [year at Tufts] (can also include your major). Sentence about why you are sending this email. Sentence on where you learned about the lab. Explain why you are interested in doing research and why you want to do research in this lab (be specific! This can be a personal connection, goal related, interest from a class, etc.). Indicate if you have attached any documents (like a resume), whether you have filled the interest form, and availability to work in the lab if there is an active opportunity (last two things are Gardiner Lab specific). Closing sentence thanking the person for their time/consideration. Sign off (sincerely, best wishes, etc.), [Your Name] |
Examples of what this looks like in practice can be found here.
Additional opportunities and information
- Explore more undergraduate research opportunities in the Biology Department at Tufts as well as the department's finding research guide.
- Tips for interviewing for research positions from the University of Wisconsin
My values and a word of advice:
When taking on undergraduates in the lab, I am looking for people who are curious, excited, and hardworking. I can teach you skills in the lab but I cannot teach you curiosity or give you motivation - that comes from within. While my undergraduate research experience put me on the path to starting and running my own research group, let me be explicit in saying that the goal of pursuing a PhD in the future is not necessary to be a part of the lab. I want to nurture your critical thinking skills for wherever your path takes you and to help you develop into informed, kind, human beings and working adults. All I ask in return is commitment and being more than a 'check box' towards your goal.
There are unfortunately far more undergraduates interested in research than there are opportunities. As such, I will need several ways to whittle down the applications to my lab, of which, the ability to follow instructions is one of them. Having said that, I want you to have the best chance of being selected by empowering you to be proactive about the things you can control. My goal for sharing this information is to benefit you regardless of whether you work in the Gardiner Lab or not.
When taking on undergraduates in the lab, I am looking for people who are curious, excited, and hardworking. I can teach you skills in the lab but I cannot teach you curiosity or give you motivation - that comes from within. While my undergraduate research experience put me on the path to starting and running my own research group, let me be explicit in saying that the goal of pursuing a PhD in the future is not necessary to be a part of the lab. I want to nurture your critical thinking skills for wherever your path takes you and to help you develop into informed, kind, human beings and working adults. All I ask in return is commitment and being more than a 'check box' towards your goal.
There are unfortunately far more undergraduates interested in research than there are opportunities. As such, I will need several ways to whittle down the applications to my lab, of which, the ability to follow instructions is one of them. Having said that, I want you to have the best chance of being selected by empowering you to be proactive about the things you can control. My goal for sharing this information is to benefit you regardless of whether you work in the Gardiner Lab or not.
