Undergraduate Research Bulletin 2010/2011 - Science & Clinical Opportunities

Below is further information about undergraduate research, first in Omaha, and then elsewhere.  At the bottom is some information on getting course credit for the research.

A. Biomedical Research in Omaha

Starting with the summer of 2008, a common application was instituted by Creighton's College of Arts and Sciences for three summer research scholarships: Dean's Award, Bisenius, and Ferlic. You must be in the Honor's Program to apply for the Bisenius program. Any College of Arts and Sciences student who will be returning in the following fall semester may apply for the other two (Dean's and Ferlic), though the Ferlic program is limited to science research. Application deadline for all three programs is January 28, 2011. Here is the link for information and an application for the summer of 2011: http://www.creighton.edu/fileadmin/user/CCAS/docs/2010_Site/ur_application_2010.pdf

For research at UNMC in the summer: http://www.unmc.edu/summerresearch/

For Creighton opportunities in general (year-round)

1)  DEPARTMENTS OF BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, PSYCHOLOGY -http://biology.creighton.edu/faculty/index.html shows what my own Department of Biology faculty do. There is also medically-related research being done by other Arts and Sciences departments, including chemistry at http://chemistry.creighton.edu/Department/ResearchOpportunities.html,

physics at http://physicsweb.creighton.edu/research, and psychology at http://puffin.creighton.edu/psy/FacultyT&R.htm.

2) School of Medicine -http://www2.creighton.edu/medschool/medicine/research/ gives an overview of all research in the School of Medicine. Most of that school's research that undergraduates get involved in is done by faculty in three departments: Biomedical Sciences, Medical Microbiology & Immunology, and Pharmacology. In addition, several undergraduates do research in one of the School's seven Centers and Institutes. The centers and institutes are at http://www2.creighton.edu/medschool/medicine/centers/index.php. Look for research links in their individual home pages. There are three departments that offer basic science M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the medical school, and these are the departments with the largest number of research opportunities for undergraduate students. Pull up the lists of individual faculty members, and look for links to descriptions of their research. 

· Department of Biomedical Sciences: http://www2.creighton.edu/medschool/medicine/departments/biomedicalsciences/

· Medical Microbiology and Immunology: http://mmi.creighton.edu/.

· Pharmacology: http://www2.creighton.edu/medschool/medicine/departments/pharmacology/home/index.php.

Useful Tips for Requesting Research with Faculty

Identify faculty whose research seems of interest, and send them two things: a resume, and a cover letter stating your interest in doing that kind of research and/or technical support of such research, such as making solutions, washing glassware, data entry, etc.

The resume should give your name, address, phone, e-mail, professional goals (i.e. M.D., Ph.D., whatever - or if undecided, say that). It should also state your class level and relevant classes you've had and/or are now taking and/or will be taking (if limited for space, list just the science courses). Also, be sure to put down prior laboratory experience (even projects in high school), and other prior work or volunteer experience that shows you're reliable, industrious, curious, etc.

The cover letter could say that you would appreciate hearing from the researcher. You might also say (and follow up!) that you plan to contact them by phone or e-mail in a couple of weeks.

The resume and/or cover letter should make clear roughly how much time per week, and for how many months, you might be able to work.

Think about whether or not you would require being paid. If you'd be interested in volunteer opportunities (even if you'd prefer to be paid), then perhaps you needn't say anything about money, or you could say that you're interested in both paid and volunteer positions. If you need a job rather than a volunteer position, you might use the word "employment" to describe what you're looking for.

The Creighton Career Center can assist you with both the resume and the cover letter, as well as some long-term career planning for which this short-term experience you are seeking would help you prepare. The Creighton Career Center home page at http://www2.creighton.edu/careercenter/ has lots if information.  Also see the Student Employment site at http://www2.creighton.edu/studentemployment/.

I suggest sending your resume not only to the faculty doing research, the Creighton Career Center, and the Student Employment office but also to the Human Resources offices of both Creighton University and the Creighton Medical Center Hospital. Be aware, however, that most of the jobs listed by the human resources offices are for 20 or more hours per week. The Creighton Human Resources Department web page is at http://www.creighton.edu/HR/.  Career Link displays Creighton jobs also at http://careerlink.com/employer/jobs/9926

B. Biomedical Research Outside Omaha

Some programs are funded by a special NSF grant; see the National Science Foundation REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) Sites Listing at http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm

Another searchable database is provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, at http://www.hhmi.org/grants/reports/scienceopp/main

And another is provided by RIT: http://people.rit.edu/gtfsbi/Symp/premed.htm

C. Directed Independent Research Credit

Whether or not you are paid, if you are both manually and intellectually involved in research - i.e. designing, conducting, interpreting, and reporting results - you can earn Directed Independent Research credit (for example, BIO 497; CHM and PHY departments offer similar credit for research).

1) Students must register for the appropriate credit hours.  A student normally registers for BIO 497 the semester in which the research work is done. With consent of the student's academic advisor, a student may register to receive credit for research done previously, such as during the summer, particularly if the research was done at another institution (see items 5-9 below).

2) A maximum of 3 hours of BIO 497 will be awarded for any single research "experience," i.e. one summer, or one semester. The following guidelines are used to determine the appropriate number of credit hours to be awarded for various hours of actual research work in the laboratory or the field, excluding such activities as library research, employment not directly related to the research project, etc.:

Greater than or equal to 3 hrs/wk (45 hrs total) but less than 6 hrs/wk (90 hrs total): 1 credit hr

Greater than or equal to 6 hrs/wk (90 hrs total) but less than 9 hrs/wk (135 hrs total): 2 credit hrs

Greater than or equal to 9 hrs/wk (135 hrs total): 3 credit hrs

3) The research results normally must be presented, such as at the Undergraduate Biology Research Colloquium, traditionally held at the end of the spring semester; this requirement applies whether the BIO 497 credit was awarded in the fall, spring, or both semesters. The presentation is most often in the form of a poster, though an oral presentation accompanied by visual aids (usually slides) may be done too (such as the Nebraska Academy of Sciences meeting in April).

4) A faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences must serve as the Instructor to authorize the student's registration for BIO (or CHM or PHY) 497 and assign a grade at the conclusion of the semester. Often that person is the student's major academic advisor.  If the research is done in the Department of Biology, the faculty member serving as Research Supervisor is the Instructor. If the research is done outside of an A & S Department, the faculty member serving as Departmental Sponsor is usually the Instructor. The student must meet any requirements regarding notebooks, reports, etc. set forth by the Instructor.

Additional requirements for BIO 497 credit awarded for work done outside of the Department of Biology:

5) An appropriate on-site Research Supervisor in the outside department or institution must supervise the work, and an appropriate Departmental Sponsor within the Dept. of Biology must agree to oversee the awarding of credit.

6) Some kind of brief correspondence (e-mail is fine) must occur between the student, the Research Supervisor, and the Departmental Sponsor.

7) The Departmental Sponsor, at his or her discretion, may require a written paper reporting on the research (in standard scientific format) and/or a research notebook documenting the research activities.

8) The grade for BIO 497 work done outside the Department might be Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory rather than a letter grade.

9) If the student receives academic credit for the research experience from another academic institution, that credit must be transferred according to general policies set by the University and the College of Arts and Sciences. Duplicate registration for BIO 497 credit at Creighton University in such cases is neither necessary nor allowable. Transient Study approval from the Dean must be obtained before matriculated Creighton students can earn transferable academic credit at other institutions.

In the case of summer research, usually one registers for the credit during a fall or spring semester following the summer experience in which one can do so without exceeding 18 hrs.

If you do research for more than one semester or summer, you can register for BIO 497 for as many semesters as you need to accumulate the credit hours you've earned, up to a maximum total of 12 hrs.

Feel free to get back to me if you have any further question.

Charles (Chuck) F. Austerberry, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology

Hixson-Lied Room 438

Phone: 402-280-2154

Fax: 402-280-5595

e-mail: cfauster@creighton.edu