Am I eligible for a volunteer position at a research center?

[Dr_Peter]

Hi, I live in BC, finished high school last year and have been taking courses part-time at a community college since.

When I transfer to university, I wanna do either biochem or physiology.

I am not sure if I am eligible right now to start volunteering at a laboratory.

I have only taken first year calculus and English.

 

When people volunteer in research centers, what kinda work do they do? Can you please give some examples?

And do you think I am eligible to apply yet considering that I am not enrolled in university yet and have taken a total of 4 courses only? Or do I have to wait till I transfer to university, take more courses and then apply?

 

Just thought I would ask you people to find out the requirements before emailing a prof and making a fool of myself! lol

[vdincale]

I myself haven't volunteered in a lab but some of my friends have done so after first year or during second year. There aren't really any requirements since most of the work you will be doing will be medial such as autoclaving glasswear or making simple solutions. In some cases my friends would assist another researcher with a specific task such as helping dissect animals or freezing specimens however everything you need to know to do that will be taught to you once you start volunteering. I think most profs are just looking for someone reliable who will actually show up, this is why some don't take first year students, however if you show commitment and interest they might be inclined to take you on. Also when applying it is best to do so in person rather then sending out generic emails asking for a position. My suggestion is emailing them asking if you can come in to talk them in person about possible volunteer opportunities.

Even though the work at first will seem boring, most of my friends who persisted volunteering eventually got a paid positions during the summer or during the school year.

Good luck!!

[EoE]

Ya, you can totally volunteer in a lab right now! I think because you are a full year out of hs you are going to be seen as more mature than a just finishing hs student. Let the prof know you are interested in starting with menial tasks but are looking to gain some learning experience on the side/eventually... If you find you like the lab, it is great to get started early. It can pay off in a big way to work in a quality lab throughout undergrad! The students that do this in our research group often get treated like MSc students (in a good way) after a few summers. They become science whiz kids pretty fast, regardless of undergrad program.

 

A big 'secret' about research is that it not is full of students and profs often cannot afford to be selective. At some schools, because of disconnect between the undergrad programs and the nature of a prof's research, profs may be super duper desperate to find students. In spite of this, a lot of profs still act like they don't really need students to do the actual lab work, which they do. Persistence can really pay off in this case.

[EoE]

vdincale gave some good examples of things you could start doing. Other things could include dish washing and racking pipette tips (you will see when you are asked to do this what it is). Not 'fun' things persay, but a good way to get your foot in the door if you are keen to start now. There are a lot of tasks in bchem/physiology that do not take a lot of science background, only training and a steady hand. If you have a tech or grad student looking over your shoulder and are a careful person, you could be doing almost anything... I saw an outstanding human cadaver dissection by a high school student working with a tech a few summers ago!

[Dr_Peter]

Thank you all for your posts! So guess I now have to look for some profs who need volunteers then.

But can any of you recommend some places, like labs or research centers? Because I don't know of too many places to begin with...

[LostLamb]

You'd need to give us more particulars than 'I am in BC'....which campus do you live closest to or can you commute most easily to? If there a field of interest for you (cancer, neurological disorders, mental illness, muscle diseases, childhood illnesses) then that is where I would start in terms of looking for a place to volunteer.

 

Labs can exist attached to a hospital as a research institute or may be located attached to a university; some may be free-standing institutes all their own. Do a google search to see what is in your area and start calling from there. Good luck!