Guidelines for undergraduate research in the lab:

• Highly motivated, curious, and independent individuals will be recruited. You must be persevering, tenacious, resourceful, responsible, attentive to detail, and responsive to guidance. You will not be told exactly what to do on a day to day basis, but you are expected to follow advice that is given and maintain a reasonable rate of progress. You are not expected to know anything coming in to the lab, but you are expected to learn what you need to know.

• Freshmen and sophomores preferred, juniors considered. Seniors need to do some serious convincing that senior projects, grad/med school applications, job searches, and senioritis, will not be impediments to research progress.

• Research is not like a class; it usually takes a semester to get oriented to the ways of the lab, and required basic knowledge and skills to finish a project. Therefore: a minimum of 2 semesters and 3 credit hours or 10 hours/week commitment is required . Summer work is encouraged. The first semester is probationary; if things are not working well after 1 semester, I reserve the right to terminate the project.

• You can volunteer, receive academic credit, or receive a fellowship to work in the lab. PURA award deadlines are usually due about half a semester in advance. However, it is not likely that you will receive a PURA two semesters in a row. You may be considered for paid work in the lab only after 2 exemplary semesters working in the lab.

• Your grade will be based on your final presentation at a lab meeting, your weekly presentation at lab meetings, contribution to discussion of lab meetings, net results of your semester's work, and the usefulness and clarity of your final report. Consistent progress over the semester is more highly regarded than heroic efforts at the end of the semester.

• You will be assigned a graduate student mentor to whom you will report directly and receive guidance. In return for their mentorship, you will help the graduate student with their research. This will allow you to familiarize yourself with the lab and gain a background to pursue your individual projects.

How to apply:

Discuss with Dr. Torres-Oviedo about projects in the Lab. Most are projects that will take a least two or three semester for you to make a contribution. Please send an e-mail with the following information to Dr. Torres-Oviedo ( gelsyto@pitt.edu ).

• Your name and contact information

• Your major, GPA, and expected graduation date

• Courses taken and grades (or attach an unofficial transcript).

• A short essay (1-2 pages) on why you want to do research and some information on what kind of research you would like to do. For example, you like building things, programming, writing, electronics, any previous research experience or projects, any work or volunteer activities you have had. If you could do anything in biomedical engineering or another field, what would it be, (i.e. what would be the coolest project you could think of). Give us an idea of something scientific that you read about and thought was interesting.

• Which projects are interesting to you? Why? Any comments or questions you have about the projects.

• Name of some references and contact information

• Anything else you would like to tell my group about yourself