Undergraduate Research

What is research and why should I participate?

There are many reasons to get involved in research. The main motivation should come from you—you should have a desire to understand something better and to contribute to the world's understanding of it. Participating in an undergraduate research experience can indeed help you understand a subject better. But it also can help you explore connections between disciplines, prepare for graduate school, or gain experience that will help when it comes time to apply to graduate school or for prestigious fellowships. Westminster College believes that research improves students' critical, analytical and integrative thinking, helps them be more creative and reflective, and it builds leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. Many graduate programs involve students in research. Learning lab skills and techniques will give you the edge when it comes to getting into the graduate program of your choice.

How do I get involved?

There are many opportunities to participate in research as an undergraduate at Westminster. Look through this site and explore both the on campus and off campus possibilities. Talk to your professors and find out if there are ways to assist them with their research. Westminster College sponsors a number of grants each summer. See the links on the left for those applications. The Gore family sponsors the Gore Math/Science research grants each summer. The Environmental Studies Program sponsors two independent research grants. The Center for Civic Engagement and the Environmental Center both offer summer research opportunities, and the Provost's Office sponsors a number of summer research grants. In addition, schools, agencies and organizations have programs that pay students to be involved in research. The following list has many of those opportunities. Be resourceful. Try internet searches. Look at the undergraduate research web pages at other universities. Read descriptions carefully—some have restrictions on who can apply.

Research Opportunities

The following list has many opportunities for students to get involved in undergraduate research projects. Most of them occur off campus during the summer. Pay close attention to eligibility requirements. For more information, please contact Kathryn Julian, the Faculty Fellow for Undergrad Research and Creative Activities (kjulian@westminstercollege.edu).

• NSF searchable database for REU's: research experiences for undergraduates sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
• NIH/Oxford MD/PhD program information: the Rhodes Trust and National Institute of Health have a scholarship for an all expenses paid fast track MD/PhD program at the NIH and Oxford or Cambridge.
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program: the National Science Foundation sponsors a fully funded ($30,000 per year) scholarship for graduate school in science. They give 2000 GRF's per year.
• The DAAD program: sponsored by the German government—great research program if you're interested in spending the summer in Germany.
• American Chemical Society international summer research experiences
• Stanford's Amgen scholars program: Amgen sponsors research at many different US and European universities and is well worth looking into.
• NIH summer research and training programs: training in the biomedical and health sciences at the National Institute of Health in Maryland.
• Co-op/Internships and Summer Research Opportunities: Biomedical Research and for Pre-Medical Studies Students (a long list of summer research opportunities.
• Association of American Medical Colleges: list of summer research opportunities in the biomedical sciences, many at top U.S. medical schools and research facilities.

Undergraduate Research Options for Students

At Westminster College students have many options to get involved in undergraduate research. Some disciplines allow students to received academic credit for undergraduate research. There are also a number of Work-Study supported undergraduate research assistant positions available. During each summer there are funds available from a variety of sources to support students who conduct undergraduate research with a faculty mentor. Most use the same application which can be found in the menu to the left of this page. The deadline for summer research grant applications is usually in early March of each year.

In order to be considered for one of these grants you must be an undergraduate student. Seniors may not apply for funds that occur after their graduation. Students must also have a faculty mentor and in most cases, a project in mind. The research can be proposed by the student, by the student and faculty working together, or by the faculty member.

Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements and deadlines. Late applications will not be considered. All applications will be considered by the Undergraduate Research Faculty committee who will make final selections based on available funding, viability of the research project, and the qualifications of the student.

Occasionally students will be considered for part time (20 hours per week) grant. If you and your research mentor have agreed to a part time schedule, please indicate that in your application.