Research
Undergraduate research is an important step for students who are interested in choosing science as a profession. Besides allowing them to establish a strong working relationship with a faculty member in their field of interest, undergraduate research teaches students how to communicate their results, both through publishing in peer-reviewed journals and by making formal presentations at the School of Arts & Sciences annual Student Symposium and at national and international conferences.
Biology students who wish to conduct research are particularly well off because of the varied and productive research conducted by the large number of professors in the Department of Biology. Faculty members often receive large grants to support their research, large enough to bring on multiple undergraduate researchers to assist with their projects. The School of Arts & Sciences is an additional source of research funding. Biology faculty study topics as varied as how bacteria survive in host cells, floristics of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, the development of lymphatic hearts in amphibians and the nutritional physiology of mosquitos, to name a few.
Students who do get involved in undergraduate research benefit greatly from the experience. They:
- Expand what they learned in their formal coursework
- Gain a new appreciation for how scientific knowledge is acquired
- Develop useful laboratory skills
- Use cutting edge biological instrumentation to answer biological questions
- Design and implement experiments
- Present research
- Foster collaboration with other students and faculty
- Prepare for graduate school, medical school or a career in research
- Attend scientific conferences and interact with other professionals in the field
- When possible, publish research in scientific literature
- Discover brand new pieces of scientific information
It’s never too early to start researching. Some students even come to Richmond the summer before their first year to jumpstart their development as a researcher. The first step to finding the right research opportunity for you is to find a professor whom you enjoy working with and whose work interests you. He or she will be able to help you find appropriate opportunities in your field of interest.
