Research Registration Page (Already have a research mentor)
Research Pool Application (Don’t have a research mentor)
Video interview of students & faculty.
Chemistry students are continually exposed to investigative research beginning with their earliest encounters with faculty. Students quickly recognize that participation in undergraduate research is one of the most attractive features of choosing to major in chemistry. It is within this environment that teaching and research become inextricably linked. Undergraduate research provides innumerable teaching opportunities which not only benefit the students, but also the faculty. The commitment to undergraduate education by faculty encourages the frequent exchange of ideas between research groups and formal coursework. A range of experience and information must be applied when designing experiments, evaluating results, and solving research problems. This experience unquestionably translates into better teaching in both the lab and the classroom. What to expect from research.
What our students and faculty say about expectations: Barnett Lab Massey Lab Yang Lab What’s left to explore: Barnett Lab
Before enrolling in a research course in chemistry you must have made arrangements with a faculty member to join their research group. This includes gaining approval to enroll, the number of hours, and some indication of the area of research that will be pursued. If you have reached such an agreement, then you may proceed to the Research Registration Page and provide the information requested there. The faculty member and the department administrative assistant will see that you are enrolled in the appropriate course.
If you have not reached such an agreement, you must obtain one prior to registering for research. You should learn more about the area of chemistry being investigated by each faculty member and make an appointment to discuss this with those faculty members whose research is of interest to you. Be prepared to share the following information with the faculty member: your major, student classification, GPA, and a list of the chemistry classes you have completed. A list of our faculty members’ research programs can be found here.
Faculty members may not be able to add you to their research group due to a number of reasons. They may not have openings available in their group, you may not have completed the appropriate background courses, or some other reason peculiar to their area of work. To remedy this, each semester the chemistry faculty meets in an attempt to place students who have been unsuccessful in joining a research group. To be considered at that meeting you should complete the research pool application form prior to the meeting.
Undergraduate participation in research is a requirement of the chemistry department’s ACS-approved curriculum. Students who meet expectations may begin their research as early as the second semester of their freshman year. A broad spectrum of research programs exist within the department in all subdivisions of chemistry. This includes biochemistry, environmental, analytical, physical, inorganic, organic, and computational chemistry. Chemistry faculty support these research efforts by obtaining external funding to support this work including the addition of modern instrumentation.
Why do the work? Barnett Lab Massey Lab Yang Lab
The department of chemistry is actively engaged with the broader scientific community. Chemistry faculty and students disseminate their research findings through presentations at national or regional conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals (most with undergraduate co-authors).
Undergraduate research also is an integral part of the culture at UCA and a particular focus of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM). Undergraduate research is regularly promoted verbally by faculty during lectures, and examples from ongoing research projects are used to illustrate some lecture concepts. The collegial atmosphere, supported by activities like chalk-talk seminars and poster sessions, also means that science and mathematics faculty outside of chemistry are able to direct interested students to research projects in this department. This emphasis on undergraduate research has received enthusiastic administrative support at all levels of the university. Particularly noteworthy is the recent establishment of the STEM residential college in which undergraduates receive focused instruction in science and mathematics. The College maintains a web-based directory listing summaries of faculty research projects available to undergraduates, as well as faculty expectations, benefits to students, and practical suggestions for how students may become involved. CNSM students are actively encouraged to participate in research and are offered opportunities to present their research to the university community and at national conferences.