The Strahl lab is committed to encouraging and supporting undergraduate research.  To earn a position at the research bench we have developed a system of you first doing a semester-long internship of about 5 hours per week during which you perform basic lab tasks, such as autoclaving and making buffers, with all necessary instruction provided. This gives you the opportunity to become familiar with the lab and our research, while allowing us the opportunity to become acquainted with you.  After the successful completion of this internship, the opportunity to do research in the lab is given, i.e., a research project is delineated and a research mentor in the lab is designated.

Tips for succeeding initially at the bench include:  Focus intently on developing a good working relationship with your mentor.  This is most important.  Be unfailingly reliable.  Take responsibility for your project.  Obtain an I.D badge (instructions can be found here, Question 22 on this website) so you can enter the Genetic Medicine Building after hours because research requires working early, late, and sometimes on weekends.  Before you are to start bench work, ask your mentor for recommendations of several scientific papers relevant to your project.  Read them!  Make sure you always understand the hypotheses being tested.   Your first tasks at the bench will be to master basic research techniques (e.g., western blotting), but be fully involved intellectually, too, in designing experiments and evaluating the data you produce.

Be an especially good lab citizen.  Do not make messes in common areas, such as the sinks and the weighing area.  Do not use others’ reagents or equipment without asking.  If you see a consumable is running low, place an order for more on the order sheet (instructions can be found here, Question 12 on this website).  Take a turn receiving packages delivered to the lab, passing their contents to the relevant lab member and, without fail, placing packing slips in the appropriate location (instructions can be found here, Question 13 on this website).

Many Strahl Lab undergraduates do research in the lab during the school year under the auspices of Chemistry 395 or Biology 395, allowing you to further your research while simultaneously obtain course credit. Successful completion of one of these research courses looks great on your transcript. The lab will readily support you with all the necessary paperwork to take one of these courses.

During summers, many Strahl Lab undergraduates work in the lab, as well. Be alert to funding opportunities like SURF grants (if this link is broken, go to https://our.unc.edu/surf/). Be especially cognizant that the deadline for this grant is generally February 1st.  The lab will readily help you with your grant applications, but you must take the initiative.

Each spring or fall, you, along with other undergraduate researchers, will give a presentation of your work at lab meeting.  Start preparing for your presentation early.  Organize your PowerPoint slides in this way:  a) Introduction/Background, b) Hypothesis, c) Data, d) Conclusions, and e) Future Directions. Practice your talk thoroughly, including with your mentor, so that it flows smoothly and stays within the given time limit.