Why perform research as an undergraduate?

Undergraduate research is an eye-opening experience! It provides opportunities and perspectives that are not available through traditional classroom education. Research improves critical thinking skills and instills an appreciation of the experimental process. An undergraduate research project is essential for students wishing to pursue an advanced degree because students are admitted to graduate programs based, in part, upon their undergraduate research experience. Research projects also prepare students for career opportunities in academic or industrial laboratory settings. In addition, research projects provide an excellent opportunity to network with faculty and get hands-on experience with modern laboratory equipment and techniques.

Student projects are eligible to be presented at the annual Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference (GSURC), an interdisciplinary event that highlights undergraduate research taking place across campus. GSURC is organized by Georgia State’s Honors College and occurs as part of Research Week.  Students can also present at the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, which is another student-centered research event. It is coordinated by the Center for the Advancement of Students and Alumni (CASA) along with other university organizations..

Research Recruits

There are many ways to get into STEM research at GSU, but one option is to join the Research Recruits program.   We have Foundational and Advanced programs. These are sets of exercises that will give you skills to help succeed in research.

When you complete the exercises, you will have a “Research Recruits” Certificate.  You’ll receive invitations to meet with undergraduate researchers in your area who can make suggestions as to professors who might be a good match for your interests.  You’ll also be invited to an event where you can meet graduate students and professors for further information on their research projects.

To get started, please sign up here. You will be added to the Research Recruits iCollege “course” and can start on your exercises immediately.

CUREs

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences offer undergraduates the opportunity to do research with a small group of students.  Under the guidance of a faculty member, students conduct research together on a defined project, searching for novel findings, usually for 3 - 4 hours of course credit.  View examples of courses in recent semesters.

Biology

For information on research in Biology, please visit their page.

Chemistry

Undergraduate research opportunities are available in Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry/Biological, Biophysical/Computational Chemistry, Organic/Medicinal Chemistry and Chemistry Education. For information, please visit their web page.

Computer Science

Students who are interested in undergraduate research should contact faculty directly to see if their interests align with the student’s proposed work. An undergraduate may earn 3 hours of course credit for research by enrolling in CSc 4982 (Undergraduate Research in Computer Science); authorization is required before registering for this course.

For more information, visit the CS Undergraduate Research page.

Mathematics and Statistics

The RIMMES (Research Initiations In Mathematics, Mathematics Education and Statistics) is open to undergraduate students at GSU. The program goal is to introduce undergraduate students to research in mathematics, mathematics education and statistics. The program will teach the students how to recognize interesting research problems, develop new ideas, compare them to old ones, and present their findings in papers or posters. The students will benefit from close interaction with faculty members and their peers. Additional details can be found here.

Neuroscience Institute

There are many undergraduate research opportunities available to neuroscience majors in the labs of the Neuroscience Institute faculty. Undergraduate research positions are arranged one-on-one between the undergraduate and the faculty director of each laboratory. No prior research experience is necessary for most undergraduate research positions. Please feel free to visit their undergraduate research page.

Neuroscience Laboratory Option 1 (Jamin Letcher, Neuroscience). Students in this CURE learn about a neurodegenerative disease that can be modeled in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) then work in small groups to design and execute an original project to test an intervention related to the disease process. Examples of past projects include herbal and pharmaceutical interventions to improve motor deficits in a Huntington's disease model, the effects of sleep deprivation on anxiety in a Huntington's disease model, and an investigation of whether the sex differences in Huntington's disease in humans translates to differences in sexual behavior in Drosophila.

Neuroscience Laboratory Option 2 (Gennady Cymbalyuk, Neuroscience).  Research techniques in computational neuroscience, including biophysical modeling of neurons, synapses, and neuronal networks. Topics include calcium dynamics, cellular homeostasis, ion channel kinetics, central pattern generator dynamics, neuronal network synchronization, and artificial intelligence. Students acquire basic programming skills in Matlab and other software to build/analyze computational models from literature-based biophysical measurements.

Introduction to Neuroscience Research (Sarah Clark, Neuroscience). Students in this CURE learn principles of behavioral testing and protein quantification, then work in small groups to design and execute an original project using those techniques in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies). Past projects have included investigations of the effect of embryonic ethanol exposure on adult ethanol tolerance, the combined effect of sleep deprivation and caffeine use on memory, and the effect of social isolation on anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors. Targeted to sophomore-level students but open to any level.

Physics and Astronomy

The Physics & Astronomy Program at Georgia State University has an active research program.  Faculty also often hire paid undergraduate research assistants during the summers. If you are an undergraduate student who is interested in carrying out physics or astronomy research, consider applying for a research position to work with a faculty member and their team.

Research interests of the astronomy faculty include solar physics, astroinformatics, nearby stars, young stars, hot stars and stellar winds, exoplanets, interferometry, active galactic nuclei, and black holes. Research interests of the physics faculty include condensed matter, nano-optics, nuclear and atomic physics, bio- and neuro-physics, and physics education research.

For more information, please visit their page.