1) Start by doing your own research; look into labs on campus and what they do. These links will help:
  • (subject).unt.edu/research
  • faculty.unt.edu (for CVs, classes taught, and a history of the lab)
    • ​​Look into specific professors and check out their publications/cv so you can understand what they do
  • Pivot website​
2) Short list the people you want to talk to

  • Sign up for a reSEARCH session at the beginning of the year, a Q&A session for all your individual questions about getting involved with research on a 1-1 basis with an exec

Research is not only in math and science; although we are a math and science school, there are other disciplines that research can be done in. It is important to acknowledge that not all research is done in a lab. Ex: mathematics research, humanitarian research, political research, etc.

3) Emailing the professors (it is very important to do your research before this step):
  • Best times to email, early summer, a few weeks before TAMS starts, after the first round of exams, start of second semester

how to read papers

Finding the paper:
  • Look on the professor’s webpage
  • Google Scholar: Key word
    • Google scholar is kinda weird so you might have to look at the second page or type in different key words
  • Library.unt.edu
Sparknotes of paper reading:
  • Read the abstract and conclusion!
    • This is often the only thing you need to read to get a good understanding of the paper
  • You don’t need to understand every word/method/formula
  • Understand the main idea first, and then the paper becomes much easier to read

resumes

Providing a resume/CV to professors:
  • Whenever you email a professor or go to meet them in person make sure you either attach a copy of your resume/CV or take a copy with you for them
  • Keep it limited to about one page front and back, and include things that would be relevant for the professor to evaluate your skills and work ethic
How to begin:
  • Make a list of all activities you have done in the last couple years and narrow them to down to a few based on what you think might be relevant for a professor to look at and might find interesting. 
  • Separate them into volunteering and work experience (if you have previously worked in a lab or had job or internship)
  • Make a list of awards you have received as well.
  • Include a description about what you achieved and what your duties consisted of when working, volunteering
  • Add a description of the award to add some context about how relevant and competitive it is.
This is a good template to follow, but you should tweak it to match your personality and design it the way you find appealing. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the professor to think about what they would find relevant or appealing.

emailing professors

To-do: before the email
  • Find out what you specifically would like to accomplish in that lab
  • Read several of the desired professor’s publications, and create a good understanding of what he/she does
  • Pinpoint what specifically in their work do you enjoy/ interests you the most
Email template:
Alternate email:
  • Another option is to only write a brief email describing who you are and your interests, and then attach a word document with all the information about your interest in that lab
  • This method allows the email to be short and concise, which a lot of professors seem to like

Samples

RESUME FORMAT, EMAIL FORMAT, AND PROFESSORS WHO HAVE ACCEPTED STUDENTS