Experience Neuroscience

One way to get involved in the department and gain hands-on experience is to volunteer in a research lab. We generally discourage students from volunteering in their first year of study, as it takes some time to get adjusted to the demands of university and learn foundation skills in their 1000-level science courses.

First year students are encouraged to focus on relationship building with researchers and lab members:

• Attending research talks like Neuroscience Colloquium and Brainbytes as well events advertised in the weekly NEURDs’letter gives you an opportunity to meet members of the department, learn what’s happening in the labs, and deepen into networking.

• The Science Student Success Centre’s tips on how to get involved in science includes important information about attending events, learning how to network, links to student groups and external organizations.

• Many hospitals and other large organizations have a section of their website dedicated to volunteer opportunities or student experiences, so be sure to browse around and check out things out directly. The more you seek, the more you’ll find.

• Attending events, joining clubs, signing up for newsletters, browsing the internet, and engaging with the community are all ways you can get a feel for what’s happening in the field of neuroscience at Carleton, in Ottawa, and beyond. Building relationships with people who are already doing the things you’re interested in doing is a key part of what will make up your life after undergraduate studies. It’s important to talk to strangers! Career Services has a slew of resources to assist with this side of things and Ottawa’s Toastmasters Club is one way to work through fears of public speaking.

—

Second or third year students should consider the following:

• Lab positions are highly competitive due to limited space and the degree of time and financial commitment required to train and oversee an undergraduate student.

• Every researcher will have a different approach to accepting volunteers. Some may invite you to attend lab meetings at first, some may wish to have a one-on-one meeting to get to know you better, others may advertise a call for interest. Some researchers take a student’s GPA into account, some do not – but all expect students to take the position seriously.

• Volunteering in a lab requires a significant level of commitment. If you do start helping with a research project, you will be expected to complete the appropriate training and then continue to show up and provide assistance as required.

• The SSSC’s webpage on undergraduate research goes more in depth about finding the right lab fit and how to prepare a draft an email to professors.

—

Timelines and strategies for making contact:

• Fall is the busiest time of year with new honours capstone and graduate students beginning lab work, so we encourage students to wait until winter or summer term to inquire about volunteer positions.

• If you are engaged and doing well in a course, you can speak with your professor directly to see if there is a possibility of volunteering with them. Inquiring about this during office hours or dropping by their office to see if they are available is a good approach.

• Alternatively, you can learn of research areas by visiting our Research Clusters and Faculty Profiles. Click on each faculty profile to read about their general research and follow up with additional web searches to see what else is happening in their lab.

• If you choose to reach out by email, be sure to explain your motivations for getting involved in the lab and how it aligns with your post-undergraduate goals. You can reference this email template to help you craft the initial correspondence.