Undergraduate Research in Biology

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This award provides funds to the Natural Sciences Division at Pepperdine University to establish a Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site. The Site will enhance an already active program of undergraduate research in biology by teaching students the common elements of the research process and increasing their appreciation for the diversity of biological subdisciplines. In addition, the program provides a mechanism whereby students from traditionally under-represented groups in science will have the opportunity to experience biological research. The experience will begin with a research orientation workshop at the Catalina Marine Sciences Center during which students will be immersed in the research process (literature review, hypothesis formulation, and hypothesis testing) and introduced to the uses and limitations of specific research tools and techniques. Holding the workshop in this remote location will insure that students are isolated from their normal routines, enabling them to devote their full attention to learning the common elements of the research process. After the orientation workshop, students will pursue individual research projects under the direction of faculty in either ecology, cellular biochemistry, or neurobiology. All research projects will be designed to provide students with insight into how scientists formulated research questions, design experiments, collect and analyze data, and communicate their results to the scientific community. Over the course of the summer, visiting scientists will hold special research seminars in each research areas, giving students an opportunity to discuss their own data with other scientists. Each research group will hold weekly literature seminars to discuss current journal articles pertaining to their research interests. The program will conclude with a student research symposium in early August.