How to find undergrad research?

[machinesupportsvector]

I am a sophomore student interested in ML/AI and in a CS rank top 10 school of US. This semester I began to find research for summer and the following years but no professor would like to take me. I have taken two grad courses and several upper level undergrad courses and I think my GPA is fine. What should I do then? How you guys find such chances?

[ray92]

@machinesupportsvector

You can apply to an Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). https://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/list_result.jsp?unitid=5049

I  think most deadlines have passed but since you are a sophomore you can always apply next summer.

There are tons of research opportunities you can also try to apply at a national lab.

Edited March 6, 2018 by ray92
forgot tag

[collegesista]

I would suggest REUs as well. Throughout my undergrad summers, I did 2 REUs and 1 HHMI fellowship and those experiences really shaped my motivation for attending graduate school!

[machinesupportsvector]

@ray92 @collegesista

thanks! but i am an international student and found that most of REUs require their participants to be US citizen or PR

[ray92]

@machinesupportsvector

Ah in that case there are others like NCARs SIParCS program https://www2.cisl.ucar.edu/siparcs

 

Edited March 6, 2018 by ray92

[eeIntern1]

Hi @machinesupportsvector

If all REUs that you find require citizenship, I recommend you continue to reach out to your professors. In your department, ask professors what might be the requirements in order for an undergraduate student to participate in their research. If they would like you to have further preparation, ask if in the future you may be able to reach out to them when you have acquired such preparation. You should also try and reach out to professors and research groups in different departments such as the Electrical Engineering department. Many departments outside of EECS may also looking to hire a students from the EECS departments to assist in their research.

Do you have project courses that are required at your university? If you have courses where you are required to participate in a project, then ask professors if you can work in their lab for credit for such projects. This counts as research experience. If you do not have project courses, then I recommend you do your own research! Find a research topic you would like to study and ask a professor if they would mentor you through your project (i.e. provide guidance/direction, watch your progress, provide advice) and then apply for undergraduate research funding. If you go down this route, you will learn a lot and be able to work on a project right from the beginning with large amount of independence! Usually an Honors program enables students to pursue research in this manner through a Senior Honors Thesis for example. At a top 10 CS school, I imagine that resources such as research opportunities in other departments, Honors programs, and undergraduate research funding would be available!

The main point is do not limit yourself to your department and REUs are not your only option. You may have many opportunities right at your university which may provide better research experience because the nature of the research will have more longevity. Acquiring research experience at the undergraduate level can be a challenge depending on the school/department, but with enough creativity and hard work you can acquire all the experiences you wish to. Best of luck!