Help with contacting professors

[AhmedSaadawi]

Hi guys, i am going to contact some professors for a research internship and i am really confused about the composition of the email. My confusion stems from that; should i include technical ideas or questions or just some general topics that the professor's lab is working on?? If i included some technical ideas, would that compromise my email or would make it as if i am knowledgeable and did my homework in researching and coming up with some interesting new ideas? Need you help urgently!! 

Edited August 15, 2015 by AhmedSaadawi

[AhmedSaadawi]

No replies?!!

[juilletmercredi]

You just posted this yesterday. Give people a chance; it's a weekend in August.

You said a research internship; what does that mean? Do you want to find out whether these professors are taking graduate students, or are you trying to get a position in their lab as an undergrad research assistant? If you mean the latter, you do't need to include any technical ideas or questions. You can just email the lab manager (ideally), explain that you are very interested in X (X being whatever the lab is studying that you're interested in), and ask them if the lab is accepting undergraduate research assistants. You don't need to come up with any new ideas yet; you'd be hired/accepted on to help them complete the projects that are already underway. Only after you've begun working in the lab would you propose any new projects.

The answer's a bit different if your goal is to be a grad student in someone's lab.