Undergraduate Research in Biology

The Biology Department is proud of the diversity and quality of opportunities for student research. Since Holy Cross is an undergraduate institution, students do not compete with graduate students for equipment and guidance from their advising professors.
Supervised research opportunities are available under a number of different auspices. For instance, students may informally and for no credit ask to observe or to work in a faculty member's lab, in part to see if he or she would enjoy a more extensive exposure to research. However, more commonly students apply to specific programs. These include:

• The Biology Department Undergraduate Research Program
• The College Honors Program
  
• The College Fenwick Scholar Program
  
• Summer Research Opportunities at Holy Cross and other Institutions
  
  

Student Independent Research: In recent years, typically 20 to 25 students have been actively engaged in supervised independent research projects spanning biology. Examples include:

• studies of the mechanisms of mutagenesis,
  
• cell-to-cell communication in cultured cell lines,
  
• investigations into ion channel expression,
  
• functions of Natural Killer Cells in the immune system and the phenomenon of autoimmunity,
  
• pattern expression during the process of development,
  
• investigations of how thermophilic bacteria are able to move between widely dispersed habitats,
  
• biophysics and energetics of sound proudction
  
• comparative muscle morphology,
  
• the evolution of movement patterns as part of life history strategies,
  
• mechanisms plants use to control paternity, and
  
• understanding the effects of floods and droughts on stream-dwelling organisms.
  

In the course of their work they have access to modern equipment that is appropriate to their area of research and is similiar to what is found at first-rate research institutions and in industry.

While most students opt for research purely within the Department's Currciulum, some students do their research as part of the requirements for special programs such as the Biochemistry and Biological Psychology Concentrations, the College Honors or the Fenwick Scholar Program.

In the late spring a day-long research symposium is held in which undergraduate research students have the opportunity to present their results in the form of poster or short talks. For some the opportunity is a requirement of their research program; for all it is a chance to summarize their experiences and learn those of others. Usually there is a luncheon for all participants. There is a similar symposium in the fall when students who did research over the summer present their results.

About Academic Credit for Undergraduate Research (Biology 201, 202) is a special course in the Biology Department that provides well qualified students with exposure to the concepts and methodologies of independent investigation. It is an important experience for students who anticipate a career in the life sciences. Facilities and resources are limited, so faculty permission is required for registration. The faculty exercises care in ensuring that only highly motivated students who will substantially benefit from the course are enrolled.

Guidelines have been adopted by the departmental faculty to maximize the benefits a student may obtain in research and to ensure a high caliber of teaching and learning. Enrollment in Biology 201 or 202 carries with it the student's acceptance of these guidelines:

1. The project undertaken by the student should be directly within the scope of the instructor's research and expertise to maximize benefits to the student. Projects beyond the resources of the department are often possible through the Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies as an Academic Internship, or may be arranged independently at the University of Massachusetts Medical School or at the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology.

2. Students should complete at least four Biology courses prior to doing undergraduate research for credit. They may then take Undergraduate Research for a maximum of four semesters. Normally successful completion of a research project requires at least two semesters. Exceptions are possible if a student has sufficient background in the subject matter or adequate technical expertise to complete a project in a single term. Such a determination is made by the supervising staff member. Each semester of enrollment carries 1.25 units and is considered a laboratory course.

3. Only two semesters of Undergraduate Research may be counted toward the eight courses required by the department for the major. If, under unusual circumstances, the student elects more than two semesters, these extra credits can apply only to the course requirements for graduation.

4. Considerable latitude is allowed for the student and faculty member to design a project that has both academic merit and flexibility. The student must anticipate that he or she will be held accountable for progress through the presentation of written and/or oral reports, papers, etc. Some faculty may likewise require a prospectus before the research is begun or similarly prescribe preparation through independent reading or specific course work. The details of expectation and evaluation are left to the discretion of the instructor.

Students are urged to make arrangements with the appropriate faculty member well in advance of the semester in which enrollment is anticipated since spaces are limited.

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