We really like to create mutual benefit with these internships. The students aren't free, so we want to get some actual necessary labor out of them. On the other hand, we want to turn them on to our branch of science. Most undergrads aren't exposed to the work we do, even in the broadest sense, so we feel it's really important to show them some cool stuff to make their experience good.
But. Research isn't fun
It gets tricky to design a good experience for undergraduate research participants. We want to get a bunch of work done while exposing people to the things we find so exciting and at the same time, not create unrealistic expectations for their futures should they decide to pursue research careers. I have seen several bloggers (but now I can't remember which ones) write about how they had a cool undergrad research experience but were then somewhat disillusioned by the bullshit when they got to grad school. I can see how it happens, since it's pretty easy to shelter an intern from the bullshit for 10 weeks and an internship can have a huge impact on a student's career choices.
So: handling interns is tricky. Our ethical consideration is usually we can't have them just wash dishes. But maybe there is also an ethical issue with making an internship too good for the intern. Wouldn't want to give anyone false hope, now would we?
6 comments:
I got really hung up with this as a postdoc when interns in the lab were just made to wash up, tidy up and do really boring mundane tasks. I asked them what they thought of it - was it challenging enough for them, did they feel like they were getting the bad jobs. They usually told me it was so exhausting and new being in the lab that the simple, mindless tasks like washing up let them process the bigger tasks they had learned. They were always willing to help out with anything as well.
You wash the glassware, you learn where it goes when you put it away. That's an important lesson.
You do boring pipetting for three weeks, you've learned how to pipette really really well, also an important lesson.
Generally, I consider doing a shadow experience for two weeks, skill development work for three to four weeks, and a semi-independent small project for the remaining four to five weeks a solid summer internship. This works if there is some small side experiment that connects with a larger project.
I always felt strange giving the really cool parts of my projects away to an intern... as in, I put in all the crap time to get to the point of doing really cool experiment and then they get the satisfaction of the final result... kind of de-motivating to me, and false hope for the intern of what research is really like... that said, I felt more guilty about making them do menial tasks too. It's a tough balance. The main problem is that there's often too much to learn in too short a time (starting from how to hold a pipette to finishing with full on western blot/pcr/whatever result) and expectations aren't always reasonable from either side.
We have a bunch of interns too (20 to be exact). I'm in social science so my experience is a little different but.. our interns do EVERYTHING that I do except analyze the data and write it up.
We have them interact with participants, help us write protocols, enter and score data, make copies, recruit participants, maintain files, organize paperwork. Basically they learn the research process inside out. The only rule we have is that everyone gets as much experience as possible. So nobody is doing the same thing all day every day.
So far they seem to really like it. When they see that you (as a PI on a project) are there entering data, making copies and doing all the other less meaningful tasks they get that it's just part of the job.
I helped to train 3 summer undergrads this year, and I was one myself years ago. I definitely think I learned entirely too much about the details of grad school after i was in grad school - and i stayed at the same damn school!
Also, as an undergrad, especially my first summer in the lab, I was all too happy to clean labware and pipette simple things.
I agree with the comments that simple tasks are fine. I cleaned glassware, labelled tubes and dusted shelves the summer I worked in a lab. There were times I wished I could do more, but most of the time I was relieved not to be given an important piece of the project that I could mess up. I also met a wonderful tech who became a friend. I am now faculty in the field that I took that job in.
At the same time, it would be nice to have them plug into some project. Is it possible to have them do menial tasks, yet involve them in laboratory meetings more? Have them take more of an intellectual stake in the labwork, even if the work is perhaps too sensitive for a starting-out student.
This is an issues I'll need to figure out over the next year as I start to take students myself. Glad to see you thinking about it!
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