We are approaching the final days of this summer session, and it has certainly been a busy time for those who have spent part of their summer here at Virginia Tech. While the campus has been the home for summer school students, it has also played host to a wide variety of people, from guests of all ages participating in summer conference groups to the new incoming freshman & transfer students and their families. In addition, there is a group of students (both Tech and non-Tech) that have spent their summer working in various research labs across the campus.
This summer has proven to be an invaluable opportunity for these students, who have gotten hands-on experience in the lab or field, been mentored by a faculty member, and have had the opportunity for additional training such as GRE preparation.
If you were to take a closer look, you would find that there are a number of summer research internships that take place here on campus, but these often go unnoticed. These programs include the USDA Summer Scholars Program, the McNair Summer Scholars Program, the MAOP Summer Internship and other programs that would fall under the category of summer research experiences for undergraduates (REUs).
Two such programs culminated a few days ago at the annual McNair and MAOP Summer Research Symposium. While distinct, both programs focus on skill building for undergraduate students so that they can prepare themselves for graduate work. The ultimate goal is that these students will use the experience to further their pursuit of graduate school, and that they will consider Tech as part of that effort. The main focus is on the academic experience, but there is a community aspect as well. These students must interact and live with a group of peers that share the same experience.
At the symposium, the students presented oral presentations and showcased their work through posters. It was amazing to see the wide variety of projects that took place. Research topics included analysis of bacteria found in the fecal matter of red salamanders, analysis of proteins to help test a possible cure for lupus, understanding how temperatures impact ducklings, and uncovering an oral history of New Town, among other interesting topics.
Several of these student researchers were not undergraduates from Tech, so for them, this summer was also about experiencing the campus and the surrounding community. These students spanned the whole country, from schools such as the University of Illinois, Northern Kentucky University, Hampton University, University of Maryland- Baltimore County, Florida A&M, University of Virginia, NC A&T, Elizabeth City State, University of California-Berkeley, Concord University, University of Memphis and the University of Puerto Rico. It was certainly a diverse group of students, with different majors and different interests.
As a moderator in one of the rooms at the symposium, one could see the faculty mentors and their lab colleagues beaming with pride as their particular student would go up and present their research project to the audience. You could sense the student’s nervousness as they tried to explain complex scientific concepts in layman terms. These students were clearly transformed over the period of 10 weeks.
One of the main tenants of the Virginia Tech Strategic Plan is this concept of learning, discovery and engagement — and among these is the notion of undergraduate research. Whether it is the Undergraduate Research Institute through the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, the undergraduate research of the Honors program, or undergraduate research symposiums sponsored by individual departments and colleges, there is opportunities all throughout campus. In addition, Tech is an active participant in the ACC Meeting of the Minds and other regional efforts that focus on undergraduate research.
We often talk about the importance of undergraduate research, but there remain hindrances to its growth. Some of these are hesitancy among faculty to serve as mentors for students, or the lack of a clear definition for what undergraduate research is, and a lack of awareness among the undergraduate students themselves. Some programs don’t get filled to capacity due to the lack of applications, as well as the increasing competitive market for students. Students can be unsure about how to go about the process and who to talk to about such opportunities.
As we prepare for the new academic year, let’s do a better job of spotlighting the efforts of these undergraduate researchers, the impact that these programs make and also focus on ways to encourage students to become actively engaged in more of these opportunities in the future.