Research Opportunities for Chemistry Students
There are many benefits to doing research as an undergraduate. It
illustrates the application of material learned in class to real
problems. It is a chance to do things that professional chemists do
(the correct answer is not always known beforehand!). It may provide a
topic for the seminar course and something to discuss at job
interviews. It allows a student and professor to work closely (the
best student:faculty ratio possible, 1:1), which is valuable when the
time comes to ask for recommendations for jobs and/or graduate school.
It extends the typical college experience of learning information to
generating new information.
Research for Credit:
Introduction to Chemistry Research, Chem
246
Independent Study, Chem 446
Honors Thesis, Chem 474
Students who have completed Chem 105 or a higher numbered course may
enroll in Introduction to Chemistry Research with
permission of an instructor. Students with junior status (60 credits)
and a 3.0 Grade Point Average can take Independent Study
and do research under the supervision of a faculty member. For
either course, one credit is received for 3-4 hours in the lab per week
(during interim it would be 3-4 hours per day). Chem 446 may also be
taken for two credits.
Honors Thesis is for students in the University
Scholars
program.
Research for Pay:
Faculty & Undergraduate Student Research
Collaboration Program
Research grants awarded to individual
professors
The Faculty & Undergraduate Student Research
Collaboration Program is sponsored by the University of
Wisconsin Oshkosh. A student prepares a research proposal with a
faculty advisor (due February 9, 2009); if the proposal is selected,
the student is awarded a salary of $2500 which can be used full time
for 8 weeks in the summer or for 10 hours a week during the academic
year. $500 is provided for supplies and equipment. Applications are
available on the website of the Office
of Grants and Faculty Development.
Some professors in the department have research grants which
include
money to pay student researchers. This avenue may require a student to
be patient and find a back-up job because notification of an award may
not be until April or May.
Current Research Projects
The following faculty members have research projects that students can
participate in. The linked pages have descriptions of the
projects.
...Crawford
...David... Gibson ...Gutow
...Haffa...Kedrowski
...Mihalick... Paulson...Tang...
Wacholtz... Xie...
Some chemistry professors are not included on this list, generally
because their research programs do not require any student assistance
at the present time. Please feel free to talk to any professors about
their projects before deciding what you want to do.
Chemistry Alumni Research Award
The Chemistry Alumni Research Award was made possible as a result of
generous gifts by chemistry alumni. Established in 1997, the award
recognizes undergraduate chemistry majors for achievement in and
potential for productive research. Junior and senior Chemistry majors
who have participated in research may apply for the Award to support
professional enhancement (professional travel, books, software,
memberships, journal subscriptions, etc.).
Research at Other Institutions
The National Science Foundation's Research
Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program provides summer
stipends to do research at other universities. The universities use
this program to recruit their future graduate students. You may
collaborate with professors, graduate and undergraduate students in
chemistry, materials science, biological science, ocean or earth
sciences. The list of universities for each summer is not usually
finalized until February, but since the grants are for three years,
the list does not change much from one year to the next. NSF REU sites
You can spend a summer or semester doing full-time research at one
of the Department of Energy laboratories:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National
Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories (CA and NM). The program
is restricted to US citizens.
Many summer positions are also listed at CIRRUS (Chemistry Internet
Resource for Research by Undergraduate Students)
WebGURU
(GUide to Research for Undergraduates) offers lots of suggestions on
how to find and benefit from a research experience.
Click here to return to
the Chemistry Department Home Page
Last updated: September 16, 2009