Undergraduate Research at MSU Dr. Neil Bowlby Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Michelson, Albert, Abraham ( ) b. Germany (In 1903) “The most important fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered, and these are now so firmly established that the possibility of their ever being supplemented in consequence of new discoveries is exceedingly remote.”

Research Opportunities: FAQs  What sorts of opportunities are there?  Why would I want to do research?  How do I get involved?  What is it worth to me?  What do I do once I decide? "If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?" Albert Einstein

What sorts of opportunities are there to do research?  MSU is a major research university  Faculty in all departments do research  Hundreds of undergraduates perform research in one form or another  REU programs on and off campus  McNair and Drew programs for minority research opportunities BMB Undergraduate Research Opportunities College of Natural Science (CNS) Departmental Research Initiatives Resources Department of Crop and Soil Sciences - Michigan State University Overview of Animal Science Research Programs MSU Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department of Michigan State University MSU Department of Mathematics Research Areas Directory McNair/SROP Program-Michigan State University

REU = Research Experience for Undergraduates sponsored by the National Science Foundation  Summer REU sites at MSU: -MSU Kellogg Biological Station -MSU Physics & Astronomy -MSU Materials Chemistry -MSU Materials Chemistry  Many summer undergrad research programs elsewhere are listed at an NSF web site: and this Case Western web site: NASA and the Howard Hughes Program also sponsor undergraduate research programs at other institutions. Several Smithsonian Institutes sponsor summer undergraduate research programs. (This slide was used from Dr. Sears’ presentation of Aug with permission)

Why would I want to do research?  To gain skills in preparation for graduate school, professional school, or employment  To satisfy your own curiosity  To learn about what scientists do for a living  To discover whether you like doing science  To interact more closely with a faculty member CNS Career Web: Internships & Undergraduate Research

How do I get involved?  Establish a “track record”  Decide what interests you  Talk to other students doing research  Look at department & faculty web pages  Look for & ask about available jobs  Contact a P.I.  Volunteer in a lab URCA - Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities at MSU

What is it worth to me?  Gain valuable experience  Learn how science is done  Get academic credit  Get paid (sometimes)  Learn how to present results  Get published  Get a good letter of recommendation MSU Biochemistry Undergraduate Publications “...man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on.” Winston Churchill University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum

What do I do once I decide?  Do some background investigation  Talk to mentor(s) about available projects  Have a clearly defined topic  Set aside time to do your work  Be conscientious about work  Keep a complete lab notebook  Participate in lab meetings  Understand what you’re doing and why  Learn as much as you can  Enjoy yourself

In Conclusion: Mencken, H(enry) L(ouis) ( ) b. Baltimore, MD “The value the world sets upon motives is often grossly unjust and inaccurate. Consider, for example, two of them: mere insatiable curiosity and the desire to do good. The latter is put high above the former, and yet it is the former that moves one of the most useful men the human race has yet produced: the scientific investigator. What actually urges him on is not some brummagem idea of Service, but a boundless, almost pathological thirst to penetrate the unknown, to uncover the secret, to find out what has not been found out before. His prototype is not the liberator releasing slaves, the good Samaritan lifting up the fallen, but a dog sniffing tremendously at an infinite series of rat-holes.”