See CS Department links on research.An updated version of the material here is available at on this page.
After studying for a while, many students are curious about what CS research involves. Is it right for you?
If you want to graduate school, then YES! Find out what you're getting into before you apply, sign on, sign up; and it is feather in your cap when you apply (especially if you get any publications).
If you don't want to go to graduate school, then maybe. It can be a great chance to work on a larger project in a non-class environment, get to know faculty and graduate students, and learn deeply about something you would likely not be able to learn about another way. It can also look good on a resume.
You will either do the research project during the summer or during the regular school year (or both). Thus you need to have time to do it. Wheter an internship or research opportunity is better is hard to say. You want to learn something, enjoy doing, and prepare for your future.
There two main avenues for gaining entry into research: here at Tufts and outside of Tufts. The key in both cases is to find the opportunities, assess your own interests, and then apply.
Immediately: Start going to department symposia, which are advertised in Halligan and by department email. Sometimes we post alerts in course on-line fora, too. You'll find out what people are doing and see what excites you and what does not. You will also have an opportunity to socialize and get more information there. Go!
See the Student Life Internal Research Opportunities and Funding page for some information and advice about research at Tufts.
See the department web page on undergraduate research opportunities. I will outline the adivce I usually give my advisees.
REUs are part of funded research projects that have budgeted specifically for undergraduate participation. You can find out about what is available at the NSF website.
Browse. The first thing you want to do is find topics that interest you. So skim and note projects of interest (open a tab in a browser or save the URL or take notes). Then go back and review the interesting opportunities.
Things to keep in mind are: Is the project large or small? Is it a new opportunity or an established program? Some REUs are part of a project that does this routinely, and they have an organized approach to brining on new people. Some are smaller or newer, and things are less formal. Larger ones may mean you work with less with the head faculty member (if at all) and more with their graduate students. That's not bad — the grad students are doing the work for the project in question, but they may be less experienced at managing students.
Ask around among your friends or try to find people who have done a program before. They can let you know whether they support students well or whether you are expected to work on your own more.
That said, most are well-run and great opportunties to do something you might not be able to do here at Tufts.
Two projects to do, then contact people. Devote 45 minutes, maybe an hour or so to each, but do them a day or two apart. That will give you time to digest what you saw and let things simmer before you come back for the second round.
Advice: Do not email or otherwise contact a faculty member and ask “Do you have research projects for students?” without doing the preparation below. You are wasting your time and theirs if you do that.
Be aware that not all faculty are looking for undergraduates all the time. Everything depends on funding, the state of current projects, and the particular goals currently being pursued.
Take a moment to write up some questions about the project.
Start by looking at their websites. Many professors have explicit instructions about how to get involved in their research groups. If they have taken that trouble, then do what they say!
In person is probably best, but on-line is ok. Look for them on Sococo. You can send an email, too. Keep it short.As I said above, not all faculty members hire undergraduates and at any given time, there may or may not be space in their groups. The above tasks are still worth it, because you were learning about you. Even if there is not an opportunity here at Tufts, you may have discovered something of interest to you that you can pursue somewhere else, on your own, or with a group of friends.
Faculty vary widely in whether and how they hire students. Therefore, I cannot give specific advice about that. At the end of Task 3, they can tell you what happens. They might ask you to come to their research group meetings and hang out to see whether a relationship can emerge organically. They might want to interview you as for a job (or have one of their graduate students do that). Whatever it is, you are on your journey.