Research Opportunities
The ASU Biology Department offers research opportunities for students to enhance their educational experience. Undergraduate research is especially helpful for students planning to attend medical school.
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REUs)
Many colleges and universities offer this summer employment opportunity that allows students from across the nation to spend a portion of their summer at the campuses of sponsoring institutions. While there, they work with faculty on research projects. For a list of institutions that offer REUs, visit the National Science Foundation Web site and contact your adviser.
Student Research Courses (BIOLOGY 4191, 4291 and 4391)
The department offers several opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research or independent study projects. These are usually most appropriate for junior- or senior-level students.
The most common way to start such a project is by contacting a faculty member to see whether he or she is able to supervise a research course. The Biology Department stresses data-driven, quantitative research. Almost all faculty will take on undergraduate research projects. Several students can enroll in the same research course and the format is flexible.
The courses may entail a specific research project or may be conducted as either an independent study project or a traditional course, but only on a topic that is not covered in the standard curriculum.
Students can receive three hours of credit a semester for a research course, and another research course may be taken for one more semester so that students accumulate a total of six credits from research courses.
Robert G. and Nona K. Carr
Undergraduate Research Scholarships
Undergraduates who have completed 72 credit hours are eligible to apply for a Carr Undergraduate Research Scholarship. These scholarships are offered university-wide on a competitive basis and provide a stipend of $2,000 for an academic year, during which each recipient undertakes a significant research project under the supervision of a faculty member.
Students who receive this scholarship are expected to make a commitment of time and effort to their projects that is far greater than what would normally be expected in a regular research course. A formal presentation of results is made in the spring at the ASU Carr Student Research Scholar Symposium. Many students also present oral reports or papers at professional meetings.
