frumpyduster

Hey thanks! It is something that is ongoing/extending into the the future, and I think your list of things to think about have set me on the right track! Thanks again

^^ It's part of a prompt I'm writing an essay for, and I don't really know what it means. Do they want me to talk about how I want to research because it's a way to lead to the betterment of society / I am able to improve my ability to understand and solve problems? It just seems kinda vague and not related to my specific research plan that I proposed in the previous paragraphs... Any ideas on the kinds of things I should say for this last paragraph?

Thank you for the feedback; I joined the lab because it does a lot of work in biophysical chemistry. Without wanting to give too much away they study viruses and the physical chemistry part is mostly development of new ways to monitor virus assembly and disassembly. I thought it sounded pretty cool, but there is definitely more of a learning curve than if I was in an organic lab now that I've had two semesters of organic and won't be taking pchem until next fall. I had a heavy math and physics background (from high school and my freshman classes, nothing extreme) before joining the lab, but it's not like I was/am completely up to speed. After reading what everyone has been saying, I think maybe I will ask the other grad students if there's anything I can do for them and give what my mentor told me to do a chance. I don't think I come off as ungrateful or overeager (at least I hope not); I really do respect the grad students a lot and the last thing I want to do is annoy them. I do have a question now, going off of what Eigen said... I am extremely interested in doing an MD/PhD. This is probably a dumb question, but is that all biochem or is there a place for other kinds of chemistry too? I'm in a biochemistry class right now and I like it a lot; would it be more prudent to have experience in a biochemistry lab? I'd like to stick with my lab if possible, but if it's absolutely necessary that I have research experience in biochem or organic chemistry, I would leave.

Oh, sorry. I didn't know it was the wrong place for this. I have mentioned this to her before just within the past two weeks, so I don't want to bother her too much, but maybe I should be more explicit than I was before.

I also posted this in the lobby, but I thought maybe more people would see it here. I would like peoples' opinions regarding the current predicament I have with the lab I have been working in since last summer. I'm a sophomore undergraduate student studying chemistry, interested in eventually pursuing a PhD or MD/PhD. I'm working in a chemistry lab (pchem), and I really used to enjoy it, but now my research mentor is very busy and doesn't have anything for me to do any more. It's been this way starting at the end of last semester, but I was so busy at the end of the semester with finals and other things, that I didn't really mind when I would come in and she wouldn't have anything for me to do. I feel like I'm wasting my time in this lab; I'm not working on anything. I feel like when I do get to do something, it's something very insubstantial and I don't know how to improve at anything if I have no opportunity to do so. I have expressed my concerns to my mentor but very lightly and it did not fully reflect how upset and miserable I am. For what I want to do, I need to show that I've been heavily involved in a project, maybe even published, but the way things seem to be going, I don't know if that will ever happen if I stay. My research mentor is very, very kind and I do not blame her at all, and she is a large part of why I would rather not leave. However, after I voiced my concerns, she gave me something to do that is totally unrelated to what she's doing and isn't anything important - it is literally to keep me busy. Maybe I should be more grateful, but when I talk to my friends in other labs, even the other, newer undergrads in the lab, they seem like they have more to do and it's something that could be published. Even the lab's high school student has more to do than me. Most people I've talked to think I should talk to the PI and leave. I really am pretty frustrated and I feel like I shouldn't be trying this hard when other people I know literally have projects handed to them after a semester of work. I don't even want my own project - I just want something to do that's actually useful. TL;DR - I'm an undergraduate research assistant with little to no guidance. Should I leave and find a lab that will help me grow as a researcher or should I wait it out and hope it gets better?

I would like people's opinions regarding the current predicament I have with the lab I have been working in since last summer. I'm a sophomore undergraduate student studying chemistry, interested in eventually pursuing a PhD or MD/PhD. I'm working in a chemistry lab (pchem), and I really used to enjoy it, but now my research mentor is very busy and doesn't have anything for me to do any more. It's been this way starting at the end of last semester, but I was so busy at the end of the semester with finals and other things, that I didn't really mind when I would come in and she wouldn't have anything for me to do. I feel like I'm wasting my time in this lab; I'm not working on anything. I feel like when I do get to do something, it's something very insubstantial and I don't know how to improve at anything if I have no opportunity to do so. I have expressed my concerns to my mentor but very lightly and it did not fully reflect how upset and miserable I am. For what I want to do, I need to show that I've been heavily involved in a project, maybe even published, but the way things seem to be going, I don't know if that will ever happen if I stay. My research mentor is very, very kind and I do not blame her at all, and she is a large part of why I would rather not leave. However, after I voiced my concerns, she gave me something to do that is totally unrelated to what she's doing and isn't anything important - it is literally to keep me busy. Maybe I should be more grateful, but when I talk to my friends in other labs, even the other, newer undergrads in the lab, they seem like they have more to do and it's something that could be published. Even the lab's high school student has more to do than me. Most people I've talked to think I should talk to the PI and leave. I really am pretty frustrated and I feel like I shouldn't be trying this hard when other people I know literally have projects handed to them after a semester of work. I don't even want my own project - I just want something to do that's actually useful. TL;DR - I'm an undergrad research assistant with little to no guidance. Should I leave and find a lab that will help me grow as a researcher?