Join the Lab
In your sophomore year at Whitman, or in the fall of your junior year, you should start thinking about getting involved in research. If you want to volunteer at a university near your home town, you can apply for a Whitman Internship Grant to pay your stipend. I also recommend applying for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). REU programs are offered by many colleges and universities across the country, although they are highly competitive. See http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.jsp for more information.
If you are interested in evolutionary genetics or plant development, you may want to apply to my lab! I generally have 1-2 paid, ten-week-long positions available each summer. Please email me early in the fall semester with your resume/C.V., unofficial transcript, and a short paragraph about why you are interested in doing research in my lab. I will invite the successful applicant(s) to work with me in the spring for a few hours per week, to get trained in the techniques that you will use over the summer.
Cooley lab guidelines for new students
A note on authorship:
The primary goal of a Cooley lab research position is to produce a high-quality senior thesis. Some thesis research may eventually be incorporated into a future research paper. I will attempt to assign authorship to all students who have made substantial intellectual or practical contributions to the final paper.