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- Research about the professors/groups you are interested in:
- Check out the professors' websites at MIT's NSE: keep in mind some of them might be out of date, and not all professor listed on it is actively accepting students.
- Research about the professors' recent publications to get an idea of the projects he/she has. Two sites I like to start for searching for publications are:
- Engineering Village/Compendex: http://mv.ezproxy.com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/search/quick.url?database=1&acw=Web of Science: http://mv.ezproxy.com.ezproxyberklee.flo.org/WOS_GeneralSearch_input.do?product=WOS&search_mode=GeneralSearch&SID=2AWV3POZSf6iXAnuVgI&preferencesSaved= Engineering Village (requires MIT certificate)
- Web of Science: Web of Science (requires MIT certificate)
- Ask the graduate students that work in the group. These sites (currently under construction) would provide info on who to contact:You can check out this page to find out which students work for which professors (info needs update): NSE Student Office Directory (Excluding PSFC, RLE) 10-2012
- Email the professor of interest and politely ask whether he/she can meet briefly to discuss whether he/she has new opening and/or funding available.
- Decide on a group/project. You should definitely decide by the end of first year.