Completely normal. I am new to a lab. Another PI makes no eye contact with me. He/she insists on doing this. Even if I ask a question. Ego as big as they come. My PI signed off on all my lab training paperwork, then turned around and said to the student I am working under "I have an engineering student that might be better for you in the long-run". LoL this took a moment to get passed.
The phD candidate does similar with no eye contact. I dont blame her. She seems tired of undergrads.
My actual person I work under, my first day she/he had a rough week and came in 6 hours later than expected.
You really gotta seek out information. Most of the time I have come to realize that clinical research personnel think poorly of undergrad premeds because we come off a little snotty and are there for a letter, checklist of research and move on. You really have to showcase why you like working there, outside of medical school application. One way to do this is to use Pubmed and research the articles they wrote on and similar topics covered in your lab. Then ask questions. It will showcase how interested you are, also not terrible prep for MCAT, and you have access to people willing to decipher some complex pathways and interesting articles you otherwise would not get.
Please don’t get discouraged. I took it personal for about 30 seconds. And Then realized just how narrow-sighted I was being in the long run. I say hi to everyone. Even if they walk by and say absolutely nothing. My mom taught me manners. Its up to them if they want to reply or not. That’s the extent of trying. From here ask very serious-research based questions. Over time they will warm up to this more.
You just got to showcase your interest. Learn the techniques well. Repeat them. Study them. Write Notes. Ask questions. And do your best not to mess up. So if you are inputting data, great. Do your best. Then when you have done this a couple of times, politely ask to learn other lab techniques. If this were a no-go then I would say u should leave. More importantly if you really want to go, make sure to secure a position before you leave in my opinion. If you ask in a polite way that is not presumptuous, you could see what plans they have for you in the future in your current lab. Its not a bad idea to ask if you would ever be performing some lab techniques. At the end of the day you are free labor. It can be a high commodity. Especially for phD and master students. Especially for those willing to train you, the road goes both ways. They focus on grants and so on. And you do all the cool, gritty grunt work that they have mastered.
Best of luck ! I hope you find a place you are comfortable with
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Should I leave my research lab?
