One of the major advantages of
attending a university is the opportunity to participate in
internationally recognized research programs. As well as giving you the
opportunity to explore research as a possible career option, you will work
with professional colleagues in what often becomes a lifelong professional relationship. Undergraduate research
help those obtain a spirit of inquiry, initiative, independence, sound
judgment, patience, persistence, alertness, and the ability to use the chemical
literature. The Department of Chemistry strongly supports undergraduate research as one
of the potentially most rewarding aspects of the undergraduate research.
There are many reasons why to request
about the undergraduate research. One certainly is that the concepts
learned in lecture courses become alive as they are applied to real
situations. For students considering graduate studies, it is a
chance to work along side graduate studies, it is a chance
to work along side graduate students and postdoctoral associates and
experience firsthand some aspects of graduate training. But perhaps even more
important is the development, which comes from facing the challenge of
designing an experiment or new type of calculation from scratch.
Although
successful completion of an undergraduate research project is a requirement for
graduation with Honors/Highest Honors, it is not necessary to be a
participant in the honors program to undertake a research project.
Benefits you gain by participating in undergraduate research:
Your research director becomes your advisor with
information on job opportunities, different graduate programs and various
professional schools. Your participation both develops and testifies
to your independence of thought, a highly desirable trait in a
scientist. Exit interviews conducted with graduating seniors
indicate that a student who has participated in research early in his/her
undergraduate career is better prepared for senior level chemistry
courses. Employers, graduate programs and professional schools will
usually request letters and/or telephone calls from your research
director. When you go to interviews, your research activities may
become the central focus of the interview.
