<p>When I was there, I knew people who were assigned to wash lab dishes or do repetitive experiment runs (things that PhD students don’t want to do) for their work-study jobs. They were not real research projects. Unless you have incredible IQ or reading speed, 10hrs/week are likley not enough to produce quality work within 1 or even 2 quarters. Of course, if you stretch it out to 3 quarters or more, then I guess even 10hr/week would add up but professors probably don’t have that kind of patience and slow schedule.</p>
<p>One of my friends that went to CalTech after NU definitely put in more than 10 hours/wk for his undergrad research. One of my former roomates would wake up early or stay late for his chemistry research. He had published several papers in academic journals by the time he graduated. Again, there’s no right answer but the more effort you put in, the better chance you could produce substantial work. So it really depends on what kind of accomplishment you are aiming for. There’s no shortcut.</p>