Undergraduate students can join the Burke lab in two different roles.
In the first type of role, undergraduate workers are paid to help with the essential job of keeping insects alive! We keep insects in culture, meaning that we provide the environment they need to grow and complete their life cycle entirely in the lab. Undergraduates will learn how to make insect food (diet) and propagate our insects from one generation to the next (insect rearing). They also help to keep everything clean and tidy. If you are interested, you should be able to spend a minimum of 10 hours working in the lab per week. Generally, if we have an opening for this kind of role we will advertise with signs around Biological Sciences.
The second type of role involves gaining research experience and working on a project in the lab. This can be done for credit or as a part-time job. You will usually work with a graduate student or a postdoc that can teach you the skills and experimental design techniques that you will need to do research. Please be mindful of the time involved in making this commitment. For a 4-credit research project, you are expected to work a minimum of 12 hours in the lab per week. If you are interested in research experience, please send Gaelen Burke an email with a letter containing a description of your 1) academic background, 2) any research experience you have, 3) future goals as a student and beyond, and 4) your general and specific interests in research in the Burke lab. Please also attach your current resume or Curriculum Vitae. Students interested in pursuing their honor’s thesis are especially encouraged.