Vicki Cameron and Stephen Pysnik preparing DNA

Research

Students get hands-on experiences in classes and faculty laboratories. (PowerPoint)

There are also opportunities to conduct research at other institutions.

A variety of research is conducted in the Department of Biology. Faculty websites should be visited in order to view information on their individual research.

Students may complete the research requirement by conducting research on campus during either the academic year or the summer. In both cases, the student must submit a written report describing the project and its outcome. In addition, the student must give an oral presentation describing his/her research at a departmental seminar at the end of the research period.

Options for fulfilling the research requirement on campus include the following:

• Academic Year Research: Students enroll in 303-30200 with a faculty sponsor in either the fall or spring semester, usually in the junior year. Please see the faculty projects here.

• Summer Research: Two five-week summer sessions of 303-30200 (three credits each) will be available and will be listed in the summer catalog. There is no guarantee of faculty sponsorship, and summer research for credit must be arranged well ahead of time with the faculty sponsor. Students will give their research presentation and submit a written report in the subsequent fall semester. Students choosing this option may not receive pay for their summer work.

• Noncredit Summer Research: A student who conducts summer research in an internship or other paid position in the biology department may petition to the Curriculum Committee to waive the 302 requirement. The student must make up the three credits in another biology course. Students will give their research seminar during the subsequent fall semester.

As part of the biology major, all students carry out one semester of research under the supervision of a faculty member in the department. Undergraduate participation in original research gives students the chance to experience firsthand what the science of biology is really about.

Research efforts by majors in the department often result in publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Over the past five years, 40 undergraduates in the program coauthored scientific papers. Seventy students in the last three years have given research presentations at professional scientific meetings, including the highly competitive National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

Petitions to the Biology Curriculum Committee

Petitions to waive the 302 requirement must be received by the Curriculum Committee at the completion of the research project. A petition to the Curriculum Committee must include the following items:

• a formal cover letter requesting a waiver of 302
• a copy of the research report
• a letter from the off-campus research supervisor describing your role in the research and an evaluation of your work
• a filled out course waiver/substitution form (available from the registrar's office or biology office)

The Curriculum Committee reserves the right to deny acceptance of a waiver petition if it feels that the student has not demonstrated completion of an appropriate research experience.