Undergraduate Research

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

The Value of Undergraduate Research

Whether a student’s long-term plans are medical school, graduate school, other professional school or one of a myriad of other STEM-related careers, we strongly encourage our NSCS students to participate in research with one of our faculty members.  Active participation in research builds a deep understanding of the process of research, helps to crystallize concepts presented in the classroom, and develops critical thinking skills, as well as teamwork, communication, and other professional skills.  On this campus, undergraduate researchers are prized members of our cutting-edge research teams, with many students earning authorship on abstracts and on journal articles and many students attending national and international meetings, often to present their research.

How to Get Involved in Research

Undergraduate research is prized on the UA campus.  Students who engage in research typically strengthen their understanding of the science in their field through hands-on experience and also become members of a strong community of students, faculty and researchers who share their interests and work together to pursue intriguing questions.  Research helps students to develop important skills in critical thinking, in teamwork, and in communication.  Note that students in the Honors program are required to have at least a year of research experience in order to graduate with Honors in the NSCS major.

Please read through each of the following pages for more information on how to get involved in lab research:

Read more about ... Background

Read more about ... Considerations in thinking about doing lab research

Read more about ... Finding a lab

NSCS Internship Enrollment form

Enrolling for Research Credit

Students who wish to earn research credit must first identify a faculty member who has agreed to supervise their work. If you have not yet identified a mentor, see our section below on "How to Get Involved in Research." Students who have identified a faculty mentor should use the research enrollment form linked below to enroll in research credit. NSCS can enroll students for research credit regardless of their faculty mentor's primary department. In fact, all NSCS students are strongly encouraged to enroll through NSCS and versus a different department. This helps us track where our students are and what they are doing, information that is very valuable when selecting students for various awards!

Research Enrollment Form

NSCS Undergraduate Research Award

The NSCS Program offers a research funding opportunity for NSCS majors. NSCS majors can apply for funds to support either research supplies or travel expenses to present their research at a conference. The funds available to support these research awards were raised by former and current NSCS students through various fundraising efforts.

Research Award Application