I have been going to Memory Alpha to try and get into the Technology R&D crafting levels and been throughly unsuccessful. How do you get the first level in Technology R&D? Or any of the other crafting levels? Becoming frustrated here, have data samples to spend but no idea how to get the Technology/Physical Sciences/Energy Systems R&D levels.

Once you max out general, there's NPCs that will give you access to the three specializations. Technology is in the room north of the general R&D area, physical sciences to the west, and energy fields is the small room southwest.

If you did and remember the diplomacy quest in Memory Alpha with the three ferengi brothers, those are the rooms you want. The ferengi sell basic items for each area, there's two Starfleet NPCs in each room with information icons on their head. One will give you access to the room's specialization, the other will give you access to the advanced area of each once you hit 500.

this guide to memory alpha r&d should be helpful