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Scott Schoenleber, who
is researching how two drugs can prevent the onset of Type
I diabetes, was one of two Mizzou students selected to present
at the annual Posters on the Hill session in Washington
D.C.
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MU
Students Are Conducting Research in Record Numbers
Imagine you are the head of a research and
development laboratory. You have a choice of hiring someone fresh
out of college with no real-world lab experience or a new graduate
who has worked as part of a research team for two or more years
under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Not a tough decision,
right? This is one way that the Life
Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (LS UROP)
increases the value of MU’s undergraduate experience. It
gives students the chance to experience real research at an early
stage in their career—a privilege usually reserved for graduate
students.
MU students are conducting research in record
numbers. More than 400 students participate in undergraduate research
every year. In the processes they are transforming the nature
of undergraduate education. “It represents a major shift
in thinking,” says Linda Blockus, director of the Undergraduate
Research Office. The call for adoption of an inquiry-based
form of undergraduate education—learning guided by mentoring
rather than passive transmission of information—has been
embraced with a new urgency.
John David, an associate professor of biology
and director of the division of biological
sciences, says the experience of these students, and the faculty
who work with them, bodes well for the future of MU student research
programs. “Some faculty used to say ‘Undergraduates
can’t do research; graduate students can hardly do research.’”
Now, he adds, those same professors are among the strongest supporters
of hiring and mentoring undergraduate investigators in their laboratories.
“All it took was the experience,” David says. “Just
the positive experience of working with a student.”
Biology major Aminata
Coulibaly is investigating how an antioxidant in grapes
can help prevent strokes. She explains her research to a
legislator during Undergraduate Research Day in April at
the Missouri State Capitol.
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The importance of integrating research into
undergraduate curricula is becoming widely recognized by organizations
that fund and promote science education. In 1989 MU received major
grants supporting student research from the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute and the U.S. Department of Education. By 1997 MU was
one of only 10 U.S. universities to receive the National Science
Foundation’s Recognition Award for the Integration of Research
and Education that year. In 2003 the Missouri Biotechnology Association
commended LS UROP with its Excellence in Education award.
Students participating in undergraduate research
have the opportunity to showcase their results at several conferences
in the state and across the country. Some recent opportunities
MU students have had to present their research include Undergraduate
Research Day at the Missouri State Capitol; the MU Undergraduate
Research Conference; and the Council on Undergraduate Research
Posters on the Hill at Washington D.C. Student research presented
at these conferences includes:
- A study by biology major Aminata Coulibaly
investigating how an antioxidant in grapes could help prevent
strokes
- A study by Spanish and biology major Scott
Schoenleber exploring how two drugs can prevent the onset of
Type I diabetes.
- A study by microbiology major Michael Gerau
exploring how genetically altering corn root structures could
effectively battle drought, the biggest factor preventing increased
yields.
- A study by civil engineering major Daniel
Oesch that involves making steel stud walls resistant to explosions.
LS UROP has a long-standing commitment to
strengthening the pipeline of underrepresented minorities pursuing
careers in the life sciences. LS UROP actively recruits students
from minority-serving institutions for summer programs. For example,
the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduate program boasts
a 55 percent minority student participation rate. Under the EXPRESS
program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, about 40
freshmen and sophomore minority students are working in faculty
research laboratories. The program actively prepares minority
underclassmen to be competitive applicants for research internships
during their junior and senior years.
“There is nothing more central to the
mission of a university than student activities associated with
discovery, creation, innovation and scholarship, says James Coleman,
vice provost for research. “I think that what defines a
great university is the integration of these activities into the
entire fabric of the undergraduate experience, and MU does this
as well as any university I have seen in the nation.”
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Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
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An equal opportunity/ADA institution.
Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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