Undergraduate Research
Research is what drives the generation of new knowledge in the biological sciences. Doing research as an undergraduate student is an excellent way to work on the frontier of the scientific endeavor, and will provide solid research experience that can benefit your future career goals. Undergraduate researchers in the Department of Biology can work on cutting edge research problems and present their results in a number of scientific forums including local, national and international meetings. Additionally, each year many undergraduates publish their results in respected journals, including Texas A&M’s Undergraduate Journal of Science, and participate in a Department of Biology Research Competition held each spring semester.
WHY PARTICIPATE IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH?
✔ Be the first person to discover something!
✔ Reinforce and apply concepts learned in the classroom.
✔ Gain technical and critical thinking skills.
✔ Work closely with faculty and other researchers.
How to Get Involved
There are two main ways to become involved in research. One is to enroll for credit in BIOL 291 (U1 and U2) or BIOL 491 (U3 and U4). The other is to obtain a paid position. Paid positions are less common. Also, Professors may prefer that you first work for credit then later move to a paid position once you have demonstrated your ability.
Either way, you will need to complete online lab safety training before you begin. You can complete this before you’ve decided on a lab, and you will need to complete this before you register for 291 or 491.
What’s Required on your Part?
1. Commitment and dependability. Working in a research lab is not the same as doing experiments in a lab course. The purpose of most lab courses is to teach specific skills. As such, your performance has no impact on others. Although you will gain many skills working in a research lab, your training is not the lab’s goal. In research labs, the objectives are to discover new knowledge. Your results matter to your professor, the lab group, the funding agencies, the larger scientific community, and the world. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever have problems with an experiment, but it can’t be because you choose not to work or not to care.
2. Critical thinking and attention to details. You will be involved in original research. Therefore, there is no lab manual to follow. The lab you join will have protocols for certain techniques, but exactly what is done will vary with each experiment. You will need to think carefully about what you are doing and justify your decisions.
3. Willingness to ask questions when something doesn’t make sense. You aren’t expected to be an expert, but people are still counting on what you do. If you’re not sure how to do something, ask for help. Furthermore, if something doesn’t make sense, you may have uncovered a flaw in the original plan or hypothesis.
4. Resilience. Scientific research rarely goes exactly as planned. Be prepared to revise, repeat or change directions entirely.
RESEARCH GUIDELINES
In an attempt to help define the difference between independent research (BIOL 291 or BIOL 491) from directed studies (BIOL 485), Biology’s UPC has developed the following guidelines based on criteria defined by the National Science Foundation, National Academy of Science, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Research:
- Research should be directed at original questions with open answers.
- The work should contribute to testing a hypothesis or answering a question. Furthermore, students should understand and be able to explain how their work contributes to achieving these goals.
- The work should provide new scientific knowledge with the goal of publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, the creation of a resource that can be used by others (either within the lab or greater scientific community), and/or used as preliminary data in a grant proposal.
- Students should “take ownership” of their project. Elements of ownership include designing experiments, analyzing data, predicting possible outcomes, forming intelligent opinions about future directions, and conversing with others about their work.
- Experiments/work should be integrated with other scholarly activity such as reading of the scientific literature, writing, and other presentation of results.
Although the degree to which a student is involved in each of the above aspects of research will depend on ability and experience, bench or field activity is not sufficient to classify a student’s work as a research experience. Students should be encouraged and mentored to develop their “non-technical” or “non-bench” scientific skills while doing independent research.
Literature reviews/readings by themselves are not research, as they are not directed at answering original questions and are not producing new scientific knowledge. Therefore, BIOL291/491 credit should not be given for this activity. If a student spends their first semester doing a literature review, they should enroll in BIOL485. In contrast, reviewing the scientific literature and analyzing multiple data sets from different sources to generate new conclusions/knowledge is research.
Developing course material makes an excellent BIOL485 project, but it is not research unless it incorporates a study on educational impact on student learning.
FINDING A LAB
1. Browse through the Labs looking for Undergraduates (below) to obtain a list of faculty interested in taking students. You can also find out more about current faculty research interests by checking out the faculty interests page or by walking around the biology buildings (BSBE, BSBW, Butler, and ILSB) and looking at the posters on the walls. Even if a biology faculty member is not on the list of available labs, they may still be taking students.
2. After identifying labs that seem interesting, email the professors to arrange meetings. Tell them who you are, major, year in school, that you are interested in finding a lab, and why you are interested in their research. Also, give them a number of times when you would be available to meet. Give the professor a chance to respond, but after a week of no response it is OK to send a follow-up inquiry. Sometime things get misplaced or forgotten.
3. In the meeting, be prepared to explain again why you want to be involved in research. You should also have an idea of how much time you can commit to research (hours per week). Finally, you should ask about the potential projects, and most importantly, what are the professor’s expectations of you.
4. Take some time to carefully consider your options then let everyone you met with know your decision. It is perfectly OK to let someone know that you have decided to join another lab or that you realize you cannot make the necessary time commitment. A professor may have others that would like to join the lab, so again, please inform everyone.
5. Do not get discouraged if you cannot join a particular lab. There are a many of factors that a professor must consider, including the number of students already in the lab, the types of projects available, your schedule, their schedule… Keep looking.
If you are having difficulty finding a lab, contact Dr. Kathryn Ryan at kryan@tamu.edu.
Biology 291/491: Independent Research
BIOL 291/491 is an independent research course supervised by various faculty members in the department (1-4 credit hours). Different professors have different requirements, but a common guideline is 3 hours per week in the lab for each hour of credit. Based on the information below, students should select their area of interest, read the Writing Requirements, download a 291/491 form here or pick up from the Undergraduate Advising Office (107 Butler), and then contact the appropriate professor to schedule a meeting to discuss their options. Upon completion of the form by the supervising professor, the student will return the form to an undergraduate advisor in 107 Butler, who can help determine how it will be used in the student’s degree plan. Up to 7 credit hours may be used in the major field of study (This varies by degree plan.). Additional credit hours (up to 11 more) may be used as general electives.
BIOL 291: For individuals of freshman or sophomore standing.
BIOL 491: For individuals of junior or senior standing.
Biology Honors students wishing to obtain Honors credit for 491 Research must use the Honors 491 Form.
- Request for Approval to Register for 291/491
- Writing Requirements -MUST READ!
- To submit a completed Research Summary please use Google forms. If you need the link, please email bio-ugr@bio.tamu.edu. As a reminder, you must be using your official TAMU email account to access the form.
- BIOL 491 – Writing Intensive Request
LAB SAFETY
All student researchers (for credit, paid, or volunteering) working in the Department of Biology must complete both general and laboratory-specific safety training prior to beginning research.
Completion of an online safety module, Hazardous Communication Training #11020
Each semester, students must turn in documentation of course completion before they are allowed to enroll in BIOL 291/491.
Undergraduate students will need to access this training via TrainTraq’s External Gateway. The URL for gateway is: https://traintraq.tamus.edu/External/ExternalGatewayLogon.aspx
Email: safety@bio.tamu.edu or kryan@tamu.edu for a temporary password. Once in TrainTraq, search for course 11020. After completing the training, print out the confirmation page to submit along with the Request for Approval to Register for 291/491. (Also, print a copy to give to your professor for their safety records.) No proof of completion; no enrollment. Students enrolling in 291/491 for a second semester may submit a copy of their training documentation or simply repeat the training. If it has been more than a year since the last training, you should complete the training as a refresher.
Paid student workers or volunteers should turn in their documentation directly to their professor.
Completion of lab-specific training form.
Lab Specific Safety Training
Please use this ***form*** for the training. For 291/491 students, this form must be completed and turned into the Undergraduate Advising Office by the 10th day of the semester. If a student is continuing in the same lab in consecutive semesters, this lab-specific training does not need to be repeated. However, if a student does not enroll in consecutive semesters or changes labs, they must submit a new lab-specific training form. The exception to consecutive semester is Summer. All lab-specific documentation from Spring will be carried over to the next Fall regardless of summer enrollment.
Student workers and volunteers should submit forms to Aurelio Cadena in BSBW 406, as well as a copy for your PI.
Additional Safety Training. Some labs require additional, specific safety training. You must complete all safety training assigned by your individual faculty.
Volunteers: Volunteering in a research lab is discouraged. Instead, students are strongly encouraged to enroll in BIOL 291 or BIOL 491 for 0 credit hours. In the very rare instance of a student volunteer (i.e., not registered for courses or receiving pay), they must complete the Volunteer Waiver Form.
LABS AVAILABLE FOR INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
| Labs Available for Independent Research | |||
| Faculty | Research Interest | Prerequisites/Requirements/Other Information | |
| Deb Bell-Pedersen
847-9239 |
Molecular genetics and genomics of circadian clocks and signaling pathways in fungi. | Must commit to at least one year of research and must have at least a 3.2 GPA. Each student must have at least 12 hours of time to spend in the lab each week (this can include nights and weekends too). Students must present a summary of their work in our weekly lab meetings and present a poster at the Biology Undergraduate Research Poster Competition. | |
| Heath Blackmon
BSBW119 |
We study evolutionary genetics and genomics. The lab uses both theoretical and empirical approaches to understand basic principles of evolution. We use beetles to study how traits like male weapons evolve, and we analyze genomes to learn how differences in sex chromosomes evolve. | A commitment of at least 8 hours per week, usually in blocks of at least 2 hours. A science GPA of at least 3.2
Undergraduate majors in any of the biological sciences, chemistry, physics, computer science or mathematics are welcome to apply. |
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| Kira Delmore
979-845-6587 |
We study the processes of speciation and hybridization in our lab. Currently many of our projects focus on seasonal migration in birds – how it contributes to speciation and is genetically controlled. There are many ways for undergraduates to become involved in our work, from analyzing data from birds tracked on migration to molecular and bioinformatics work. We can work together to identify the best project for each student. | Preference is for sophomores and juniors with a background in Biology or a related field. We are looking for motivated students with the ability to work independently once trained. It is best if the student can commit at least 8 hours per week. | |
| Jen Dulin | Cellular and molecular approaches to regenerate the nervous system and restore neurological function after spinal cord injury | Must be willing to commit at least 15 hours/week. Must have at least a 3.0 GPA
Students will have the opportunity to learn neural stem cell isolation and culture, histology and immunohistochemistry, fluorescence and confocal microscopy, image analysis, animal behavioral assessments, and/or animal surgical techniques. Animal work will require a commitment of at least 3 consecutive terms, due to the time required for training to proficiency. Students who generate data that is included in manuscripts will be given coauthorships. |
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| Isabella Farhy | We study the cross talk between two major cell types in the brain, neurons and astrocytes, focusing on how they shape synapse development and function. | Currently accepting students with background in bioinformatics/ computer science for projects involving image analysis and gene expression analysis.
Must commit to 10-12 hours/week minimum, in blocks of 3 hours for at least 2 consecutive days, and at least 2 semesters. Students will gain experience in molecular neuroscience techniques including but not limited to cell culture, rodent brain dissection, histology, mouse behavior, fluorescent microscope imaging and data analysis. Neuroscience background is preferred, but not required |
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| L. Rene Garcia
845-2989 |
Cellular, genetic and molecular regulation of neural-muscular circuit function involved in motivated behaviors of animals. | Students must have an overall GPA greater than 3.4. Students are required to enroll into the Biology 491 class and must commit 15- 20 hours a week.
Research projects (biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, imaging, etc…) will be designed to fit the student’s interest. The more time a student can commit to the project, the more ambitious/interesting the project can be. |
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| Richard Gomer
458-5745 |
How tissue size is regulated, wound healing, and diseases such as heart and kidney failure | Besides my permission, students must commit to at least 12 hours/ week. Because some projects in the lab use human blood, students must have had hepatitis A and B vaccinations.
We use techniques from biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and immunology; projects will be determined by a combination of what we’re doing and what the student is interested in. |
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| Lawrence Griffing
845-1625 |
structure and biochemical organization of cells; membrane trafficking. | Freshman, sophomores and upper classment are welcome. No prerequisites except willingness to plan and carry out work independently, once shown the techniques. You acquire understanding of the experimental system from weekly meetings and outside background or literature readings. After four credits, you may either produce a poster for the undergraduate research competition or submit an article for Exploratins, the undergraduate journal of research.
The lab has projects in biochemistry, genetics, and imaging. For one hour credit, you and perhaps a partner, will do a very narrowly-framed, but successfully thrice-repeated experiment, with an expectation that you spend three hours lab time preparing, doing and recording the experiment each week (weekends or evenings are OK once the techniques are mastered) As the number of hours increases, the time spent in the lab and the scope of the experiment increases proportionally. |
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| Jeff Jones | Understanding the genes, neurons, and circuits regulating circadian rhythms in behavior and physiology | Undergraduate students in their sophomore or junior years interested in joining the lab should have a background in biology, neuroscience, psychology, and/or computer science. Students are expected to commit to working at least 15 hours per week in lab (including evenings and weekends as needed) for at least one year. Freshmen and seniors may be accepted into the lab on a case-by-case basis. Projects will depend on student’s interests, goals, and availability, but may include learning systems neuroscience techniques (virus injection, in vivo imaging and optogenetics), circadian biology techniques (in vitro imaging, circadian behavioral recording) and theory, and computational analysis (coding, machine learning). Students will preferably be willing to work with mice, but this is not required. | |
| Alex Keene | Neural regulation of behavior in flies and fish models | Project will be tailored to student’s background and goals, but will it require 12-16hrs/week.
Undergraduate majors in any of the biological sciences, chemistry, physics, computer science or mathematics are welcome to apply. |
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| Jerome Menet
458-5696 |
We study how biological rhythms (i.e., rhythms of 24hrs such as the sleep-wake cycle) are generated at the molecular level in the mouse. We are particularly interested in the mechanisms involved in rhythmic gene expression. | Student should have taken biological science classes, and must commit to at least one-year minimum of lab work and be willing to devote 12-15 hours per week (but flexible hours).
Students must be willing to work with mice. |
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| Christine Merlin
862-2457 |
We study how biological clocks time the seasonal migratory behavior and physiology of monarch butterflies and seek to understand the underlying genetic basis using integrative approaches from genes to behavior. | Motivated students classified as sophomore or junior, with solid background in biological science and chemistry and a GPA above 3.2 are encouraged to apply. Students are expected to make at least a 1-year commitment and work 15hr per week in the lab including evenings and weekends as needed.
Students will first learn monarch husbandry techniques and advance to molecular biology and/or behavior to study the role of the circadian clock in the seasonal migration of monarch butterflies. The projects will be tailored whenever possible to the interest of the students. |
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| Angela Mitchell
845-5158 |
We study the effect of stress on the cellular envelope of gram-negative bacteria using bacterial genetics and biochemistry. | Sophomores and juniors with an interest in performing multiple semesters of research preferred. Students must have a GPA of greater than 3.2 and have taken introductory science classes. A time commitment of at least 8-10 hours per week in large blocks of time is required. A greater time commitment will broaden the scope of available projects. | |
| Beiyan Nan
845-3487 |
The lab uses super-resolution microscope to understand fundamental functions of bacterial cells, such as cell wall synthesis, cytoskeleton assembly, cell motility, development (fruiting body formation), etc. | Sophomores and juniors with a GPA greater than 3.2, completed Microbiology and Molecular Biology, capable of molarity calculations, and willing to make a one-year commitment in research. Students are expected to commit 15-20 hours in the lab each week.
Students will learn basic microbiology, molecular biology, cell biology, and possibly also protein chemistry techniques. Motivated and successful students will coauthor research papers. The lab is currently building a super-resolution PALM microscope, which will give students the opportunity to learn advanced imaging and biophysics techniques. Since this is a new lab, the PI will train students directly. Join the lab, and let’s grow along together! |
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| Daniel Paredes-Sabja
3123 |
My group studies different independent, but interrelated, aspects of Clostridioides difficile pathogenesis, including how C. difficile spores interact with the intestinal mucosa to persist during the infection and cause recurrence of the disease; how the outermost-layer of C. difficile spores is assembled, which is relevant for interactions with the host; and we also focus on the development of therapeutics to fight C. difficile infections. | Highly motivated and perseverant students at all levels are encouraged to apply. GPA greater than 3.2 is preferred, but not mandatory, depending on previous background. Preference for sophomores and juniors.
Students must be willing to devote at least 15-20 hr/week, work during evenings and weekends when required, for at least 1 year to achieve proficiency. Projects will be designed on a student-basis. Depending on the project, students will learn techniques of general and molecular microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, confocal fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy. Once trained, students will work on their independent project. If data derived from their project is included in research articles published by the lab, students will also be included as coauthors. |
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| Hongmin Qin
862-4580 |
Ciliogenesis and Intraflagellar Transport in Chlamydomonas and C. elegans | Preference is for students who can spend an average of at least 12 to 15 hours per week in the lab, and take two consecutive semesters of 491 research.
Students will first get training in general laboratory techniques. After essential skills are developed, students will select independent research projects. |
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| Jolene Ramsey | Bacteriophage biology with an emphasis on escape from bacterial hosts, molecular mechanisms, and genomics | Any STEM major that can demonstrate an interest in our biological questions and a willingness to learn through failure in an inclusive team environment may apply. After an interview, students must choose to abide by a mentoring agreement and commit to 10+ hours per week in the lab for multiple semesters (usually for research credit). | |
| Bruce Riley
845-4302 |
Through genetic analysis of zebrafish embryos, we study early development of the inner ear and other sensory organs of the head. | Students should expect to spend 15-20 hours per week in the lab and be willing to work evenings and weekends as needed. I ask undergraduate students to commit to working at least 2 semesters. | |
| Kathryn Ryan
979-862-1616 |
Nuclear envelope structure and function with a focus on nuclear pore complex assembly and dynamics | Students at all levels will be considered, but preference will be given to those who can work at least two semesters. In order to conduct meaningful research, students should plan to spend at least 10-12 hours a week in lab in approximately 2-4 hour blocks. Once trained, this could include evenings and weekends. Must have successfully completed the first semester of chemistry and be able to do basic molarity calculations.
Each student will gain experience in a variety of molecular, cell biological and genetic techniques while being responsible for carrying out an independent project on some aspect of nuclear pore complex assembly. It is expected that undergraduate researchers will become a fully integrated members of the lab. |
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| Matthew Sachs
979-845-5930 |
Regulation of eukaryotic gene expression focused primarily on post-transcriptional control; functional analyses of fungi at the genome level | ||
| Joseph Sorg
979-845-6299 |
Early stages of Clostridium difficile pathogenesis. Mechanisms of bile acid resistance and spore germination | Students must have taken some biological science and chemistry and are familiar with basic chemical calculations. Students are expected make at least a 1 year commitment and work 15 – 20 hours / week including evenings and weekends as needed. Students will interview prior to acceptance into the lab.
We are seeking highly motivated and independent sophomores and juniors to study mechanisms of C. difficile spore germination and bile acid resistance. Students will learn basic microbiological techniques (sterile technique, anaerobic culturing, gene cloning, PCR) and, after proper training, work on an independent project. |
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| Marie Strader
BSBE 216E |
My lab aims to understand the role of adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in marine invertebrate responses to global change. To approach this, we aim to make connections between the genome and phenome in traits involved in organism-environment interactions. | A commitment of 8-10 hours per week that can be split up into a few blocks. Minimum science GPA of 3.0. Preference for Sophomores or Juniors majoring in any biological sciences related major. All undergraduates will participate at some level with animal husbandry of jellyfish and sea urchins. Projects will be assigned based on student interest/experience and needs within the lab. | |
| Wayne Versaw
845-7709 |
Investigation of how metabolites are moved between compartments of a plant cell, the physiological roles of different types of plastids and determinants of leaf size. | A commitment of 8-12 hours per week, usually in 3-4 hour segments is required. Completion of Biol 213 strongly encouraged.Duties: Students carry out genetic crosses, harvest seed for segregation analyses, conduct PCR-based genotyping, assist with phenotypic screens of plant mutants, and participate in general lab maintenance. Some students have also been involved in mutant screens, gene cloning projects, enzymatic assays and generation of transgenic plants. |
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| Mary Wicksten | Undergraduate assistants are needed to aid in field work collecting coastal sand and invertebrates, analyzing present and past collections, and reporting the results. | Biology or other life science majors are preferred. | |
| Aref Zarin | Developmental/Experimental Neuroscience using fruit fly (Drosophila) as the animal model.
Research Questions: a) How the central nervous (especially sensory-motor circuits) develops during embryogenesis. b) How the central nervous (especially sensory-motor circuits) generates/controls locomotor behaviors. |
Freshman-Sophomore Level Students with GPA greater than 3.4
Willingness to devote 12-15 hours per week (but flexible hours) and commit at least one year of work in the lab. Willingness to learn (or prior experience with) imaging techniques (confocal microscopy), immunohistochemistry, optogenetics, animal behavior, and coding skills in MATLAB and/or Python. Students will be involved in cutting-edge research topics after taking the required training. Productive students will be offered authorship in research papers published by the lab. |
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