Finding the Perfect Fit
Many students want to get involved with research at UNH, as one of the main benefits of coming to this university is all the diverse research opportunities it offers. But the first hurdle a student must overcome to get involved with research is almost always the biggest—finding a mentor.
Students should know that there is no one way to find a research mentor. If you are shy, like me, this can be an extra nerve-wracking process. For some people, research falls into their laps. Sometimes professors reach out independently if they feel the student would be beneficial to their lab. But this is not always the case. Most students I have done research with had to take the first step and reach out to professors themselves. Meeting with a professor is not as scary as it may sound. Many professors want undergraduates for research, so they are trying to find the best traits in you, not the worst. If a shy, introverted student like me can find a mentor, anyone can!
The first step, though, is that you must decide your interests. As a first-year student, I was a bioengineering major, and I thought that tissue regeneration was going to be my passion. In my freshman seminar class, different faculty members came in and advertised their research. Many of my friends reached out to these professors via email and got accepted into the lab that they wanted. I did not find a bioengineering lab that I was truly interested in, so I decided to look for other research opportunities.
One of the amazing things about research at UNH is that it is truly interdisciplinary. After my seminar class produced no interesting research labs for me personally, I went into the CEPS faculty and COLSA faculty pages and scrolled through the professors, looking at their different research interests and publications. I ended up coming across a biomedical research and genetics lab that focused on tissue regeneration in salamanders. Even though the lab was in a different department than my major, I simply emailed the professor, expressing my interest. Shortly after I reached out, the professor responded, suggesting that we meet.
After a few months of working in that lab, I decided to change my major to mechanical engineering. As a sophomore, I needed to find a new mentor and research lab. I searched the different faculty directories again, and although the first lab that I emailed ended up not aligning with my research interests, the professor was kind and gave me suggestions for others to reach out to. I was able to gain a position in a different lab that I am finding very interesting and engaging.
In this new lab with Dr. Thein, I am helping design a drone that will be used for search and rescue missions in the future. I enjoy the hands-on aspects of the lab, like building and testing the drone, as well as the potential of this research to directly help people. I can already see myself continuing this research throughout my undergraduate career. I may even use this research project as my senior capstone that is required for my senior year as a mechanical engineering major.
In the end, there is no set formula for finding a mentor. Don’t be afraid to reach out, whether that's through email, talking to a professor in office hours or after class, or through some other method. Even if it does not work out the first time, professors will often point you in the direction of other faculty members whose interests match your own. It is best to be patient and not afraid of the unknown. Professors do not expect you to be experts in their field, they just want students who are curious. By taking the initiative to reach out to a professor, you have already impressed them, and you have taken the hardest step to getting involved with research. So have confidence, be curious, and put yourself out there, as you never know where you may end up.
*Update: Since Isabelle began her search for a mentor, the Hamel Center established an Undergraduate Research Directory for students to connect with possible mentors. This is a great resource in addition to browsing faculty pages within each college as Isabelle mentions, above.
