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Summer work experience in labs

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  • 05-06-2010 6:55pm
    #1
    u60gypx5jakoti
    Closed Accounts Posts: 86 ✭✭


    Hi there,

    Is it possible to get work experience in Trinity labs during the summer after only first year? In biology, microbiology or genetics labs? It could even be work experience without pay, if necessary. Anybody any experience at this?


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    #2
    KiLLeR CoUCh
    Registered Users Posts: 121 ✭✭KiLLeR CoUCh


    Depends. Are you a student? I think a lab positions that you're talking about are already taken at this stage by JS students. The only way of finding out is to get in touch with somebody in charge of a research group and ask them would they be willing to take you on. I'd say there's not a hope in hell of you getting paid though. Most people I know have taken on work for the sake of experience and have been told they "might" get paid if money will stretch that far.


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    #3
    u60gypx5jakoti
    Closed Accounts Posts: 86 ✭✭u60gypx5jakoti


    Im not a student yet, but I will be from this September on. Im thinking about Summer 2011 and getting work experience in a lab then as a JF. Any chance of that or do only JS students and above get those positions? Working for free would be fine with me as its the experience I desire. So its just a matter of getting in touch with a research group leader during the college year and seeing if they`ll take me on that summer? No official applications through the uni system itself needed? Id assume not, if I was working for nothing.


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    #4
    Craguls
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,986 ✭✭✭Craguls


    Tenley Putrid Octagon wrote: »
    Im not a student yet, but I will be from this September on. Im thinking about Summer 2011 and getting work experience in a lab then as a JF. Any chance of that or do only JS students and above get those positions? Working for free would be fine with me as its the experience I desire. So its just a matter of getting in touch with a research group leader during the college year and seeing if they`ll take me on that summer? No official applications through the uni system itself needed? Id assume not, if I was working for nothing.

    Hi I'm a rising SF student who's considering doing the same as yourself.

    As regards getting paid for lab experience, the positions exist but they're few and far between and go to either rising SS or rising JS' with "outstanding grades" from what I've been told. I'm considering emailing around a few of my lecturers to see if they'll get me in the do the grunt work for the experience but again it's entirely at their discretion. I'm waiting on exam results to attach that'll hopefully some I'm somewhat competent in whatever field I apply to. I'll let you know how I get on.

    You also could try for companies and research groups outside Trinity if you'd worked up a good rep and managed to get a few references.


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    #5
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    You could try the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), but applications for this year have closed. Someone in my class last year did it, and he had just finished first year at the time.


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    #6
    Sid_Justice
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,720 ✭✭✭Sid_Justice


    You should check out those SFI programmes too, UREKA etc.

    They'd be a lot more fun that being a lab monkey for someone. If you're willing to work for free/expenses I'm sure there would be a number of PhD students who could use an extra pair of hands, but there would be a strong requirement that you're competent. You'd probably need to know someone personally for them to take you on as a JF or a SF to know they can trust you not to ruin an experiment.

    only way to find out is to ask.


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    #7
    KiLLeR CoUCh
    Registered Users Posts: 121 ✭✭KiLLeR CoUCh


    Okay well I can only speak from my own experience (I'm a rising SS physics student). The UREKA programs look fantastic on paper but there was doubt this year as to whether or not they would go ahead due to funding. As it turns out they are going ahead but I can only imagine there'll be similar doubt for the next year or two. The Dublin based ones are in DCU, Trinity and DIT. As somebody said previously, applications are closed for this year but keep them in mind for coming years.

    http://www.bdi.ie/Diamond/
    http://www.sure.tcd.ie/
    http://www.focas.dit.ie/ureka/home.html

    An alternative to them is simply asking a lecturer to take you on for the summer. A lot of people in my class found work this way simply by asking a lecturer they either knew or liked the sound of the research they were involved in. Some are getting paid, some aren't. However they are all JS students so as a JF student, you'd want to have some proof behind you that you're competent.


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    #8
    u60gypx5jakoti
    Closed Accounts Posts: 86 ✭✭u60gypx5jakoti


    Thats great info everybody. Thank very much. I`ll be sure to follow up on those various options during 1st year, well in advance of next summer then.


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