Department of Biology

Steps Needed to Organize Your K493 Senior Research Project:

By Dr. Stephen Randall, IUPUI Department of Biology

1. Get Started Early. The earlier you start thinking about your research project, the better. Ideally, you should be thinking about this by the end of your sophomore year or the beginning of your junior year. The earlier you plan, the better your chances of getting into the lab and the project you want. You usually take K493 (the research course) one credit at a time.

2. Identify a General Area of Interest. Don’t limit yourself. Be open minded to possibilities. Read the summary of the faculty’s research interests. These summaries are available in the biology office (SL306) or in the advisor’s office (SL322). Think about what subject areas have caught your attention in your classes.

3. Learn about Your Professors. Talk to other students, especially ones who are already in research labs or talk to lab instructors or recitation group leaders. Talk to you professors when you are taking their courses. Any of the above might be easier than going directly to the professor at first.

4. Decide upon Two or Three Professors. Don’t limit your investigation to just one area or one professor.

5. Make the Initial Contact. e-mail is an easy way to make the first contact or go directly to the professor’s lab. Identify yourself. Tell how far along you are in your studies. Suggest that you would like to talk about working in his/her lab.

6. Make an Appointment. Don’t expect the professor to stop everything the minute you walk into the lab or send an e mail. Be prepared to set an appointment for later. The professor will want to spend quality time with you.

7. Ask the professor about his/her research interests. There is nothing a researcher likes better than to be asked about his/her life work! The conversation will be easy, now.

8. Determine if you feel a “match” with the work and the professor. Both of you need to agree on this.

9. Make a second contact with your chosen professor and agree upon the research project. Discuss the number of credit hours per semester and the number of semesters total of work.

10. Be certain that you and the professor have clear understandings of your responsibilities. Talk about the responsibilities in the laboratory, the writing of progress reports, the number of hours to work each week, etc. Typically, one hour of credit equals 8-10 hours per week of research time in the lab.