Undergraduate Research in Biology

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9605062 Davis Pepperdine University will enhance an 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. Each summer, the program will begin with a research-orientation workshop during which students will be introduced to the uses and limitations of specific research tools and techniques and immersed in the research process (literature review, hypothesis formulation, and hypothesis testing). Students then will pursue individual research projects under the direction of faculty in either plant physiological ecology, conservation biology of amphibians, ecophysiology of marine intertidal animals, or molecular biology of hemoglobin genes. All research projects will be designed to give students insight into how scientists formulate research questions, design experiments, collect and analyze data, and communicate their results to the scientific community. Students will play a pivotal role in the selection and design of their research projects and will participate in a retreat to formally present, evaluate, and refine their summer research proposals. Over the course of the summer, visiting scientists will hold special research seminars in each research area and spend time with students, 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 each summer with a student research seminar in early August. Follow-through will include student participation in local and regional research conferences. In cases of special merit, students will be encouraged to present their research at national meetings and to prepare their results for publication in a scientific journal.