Testimonial 1: 

• Be persistent and professional always. And don't be afraid to ask questions.

• Computer skills, coding, communication, general chemistry and calculus, adaptability  

 

Testimonial 2: ​

• Talk to professors. Many have labs and love hiring ambitious students

• At JILA (job, not research, but it's a lab building) I had little useful skills before. Being a hard worker and quick learner means you excel work anywhere though. I've learned a ton about electronics and programming at work

 

Testimonial 3: ​

• Talk to professors doing work you're interested in, and apply for the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship program at the end of each year.

• Interest in the research material, light programming skills were required. I learned qualitative reasoning/coding, and what the research process looks like for university professors.  

 

Testimonial 4: 

• I believe that I was given the research opportunity I had because I had previous experience in science fair (I was hired as a freshman). I also think that I interviewed well.
  Participating in research helped me both in my classes and in industry. I had a better understanding of what I enjoyed doing and what I was good at. I additionally had a better understanding of how to be useful and make progress in a field where I was in way over my head.

• Ask your professors about their research. It generally helps to know something about what they do before you talk to them, although it's alright if it's all over your head.

 

Testimonial 5: 

• If you're really needing one, look at funding programs such as UROP or DLA. Also, your GPA does matter for research experiences. So, keep that in mind. Also research can be found by looking at various REUs (google REU and they should have a database of every REU ever offered and you can narrow to topics you might be interested in). Or look at government labs.

• No skills necessarily required for research. But having taken specific classes is really helpful since a lot of work expands on general concepts. I learned how to read research papers and various characterizing techniques (Voltammetry, SEM imaging, Focused Ion Beam imaging, etc.). I also learned how to communicate my work to non technical and technical experts via written and oral presentations.

 

Testimonial 6:

• ASK! Seriously, just contact people who run labs here and ask if they need any help

• CAD Modelling in SolidWorks was required, I gained experience w/prosthetics, 3-axis milling, PCB design, and manufacturing from CAD models

 

Testimonial 7:

• Just go for it. If you see a job opening, apply for it, even if you don't feel like you may be qualified for it!

• Required was just having a passion to be there and to do the work. Showing an interest can really help land a position. From the experience I really learned how to work and communicate in a professional environment, in addition to being able to learn on my feet.

 

Testimonial 8: 

• GO TALK TO THE PROFESSOR!! nothing beats talking to them in person. Email them first and let them know you are very interested and would like to meet during their office hours and then bring lots of good questions. Hint: professors love talking about their own research so literally any question is a good one

• Relevant class experience (for me it was heat transfer) and a polished resume, and a passion for the subject.

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