Each biology faculty member maintains an active research program involving undergraduates. Students are encouraged to become involved in a research experience with a faculty member as early as their first year. Many students receive scholarship funds to support their research endeavors that typically extend from one to three years. Students actively involved in research with faculty members are expected to present the results of their projects at local or national annual conferences.

The chemistry department adapts individual research projects to provide undergraduates the opportunity to engage in research either for course credit or as paid researchers. Upper-level students under the direction of a faculty member can earn course credit through CHEM 490/492 Directed Research Courses. During the semester or over the summer, students can apply to work in collaboration with the chemistry faculty as paid participants of our research program.

Chemistry Summer Research Program

The 10-week chemistry summer research program begins with an application process in the spring. All students interested in participating in the program are invited to attend a short seminar where the chemistry faculty present their current research projects. Students are asked to fill out an application form allowing them to discuss how this experience will help them with their future career goals and then they are interviewed by the chemistry faculty.

Students interested in conducting joint research with a faculty member are encouraged to contact a member of the economics faculty. Some research projects may be eligible for funding.

The English department has a long history of being especially involved in student and faculty collaboration. Students typically arrange collaborative projects to align with a faculty member’s area of specialization. These projects are often presented at conferences or through publication.

Students are encouraged to gain professional experience above and beyond their coursework. The department often obtains outside research grants or contracts to hire students. Some students have been supported by the department’s scholarship programs; others have obtained internships or summer jobs as part of their research experience.

The mathematics discipline has long supported undergraduate research in the field. Students are encouraged to participate in the Summer Research Program.

Mathematics Summer Research Program

The mathematics summer research program consists of 10 weeks of full-time work with mathematics faculty members. The program is open only to St. Norbert mathematics students. Interested students should meet with a member of the mathematics discipline before putting together an application. The research concludes with the students presenting their work at the national Mathfest meeting.

Students are encouraged to take part in undergraduate research for these pre-professional programs through the biology department.

Many students participate in undergraduate research in the psychology department. Their work has been published in print and electronically and presented at annual undergraduate research conferences.

Students in the discipline of women’s and gender studies have the opportunity to work with faculty members on intriguing and socially-relevant research projects. These projects have previously been presented at the National Women’s Studies Association Conference.

Skills Gained Through Undergraduate Research

Integrative skills:

• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Written communication
• Oral communication/public speaking/presentation skills

Research skills:

• Discourse community
• Field-specific research
• Real-world academic research
• Involvement in academic exchange

Intangible skills:

• Intellectual curiosity
• Intellectual excitement and commitment
• Patience
• Fortitude
• Dependability/reliability

Five High-Impact Practices

In their book, “Five High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion and Quality,” Jayne E. Brownell and Lynn E. Swaner list undergraduate research among the five practices they identify as the most beneficial to students:

• First-year seminars
• Learning communities
• Service learning
• Undergraduate research
• Capstone courses and projects

Undergraduate Research Outcomes

General effects:

• Higher rate of persistence
• Higher rate of graduate school enrollment
• Improvement in research skills
• Increased interaction with faculty and peers
• Gains in problem solving and critical thinking
• Greater satisfaction with educational experience
• Impact on underserved students:
• Higher rate of persistence
• Higher rate of graduate school enrollment
• Findings mostly limited to studies of undergraduate and summer research opportunity programs

Moderating variables:

• Role of faculty mentor
• Quality of mentoring relationship

Research issues:

• Lack of empirical studies (vs. program descriptions)
• Selection bias (promising students often selected for undergraduate research opportunities)
• Unknown impact of mediating variables
• Lack of research on outcomes beyond retention and graduate school enrollment

Components of Successful Undergraduate Research Programs

• Encourage faculty to provide mentoring, rather than just program oversight, and attend to the quality of the mentoring relationship (balancing challenge with support).
• Provide opportunities for “real-life” applications, whether through publication, presentations, or project implementation.
• Offer intentionally designed curricula that enhance students' research skills and build those skills over time, including prior to intensive undergraduate research experiences.

Research projects involving undergraduate students can begin in several ways, including:

• Faculty-initiated research

• Student-initiated research

• Classroom-initiated research
• St. Norbert College Research Fellows Program

Programs Currently Available to Undergraduates

Undergraduate research programs funded by the college:

• Collaborative Research Grants

• Student Academic Travel Presentation and Attendee Grants