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An important feature of the Department of Biological Sciences is the opportunity for undergraduates to
interact with faculty. Your professors in departmental courses are also prominent research scientists, with labs in
Langley-Clapp-Crawford. We encourage students to be aware of the faculty research and to develop projects with faculty. While such
research is usually undertaken in the junior and senior years, it may begin in the sophomore or even the freshman year.
Students in Dr. Ashman's lab perform fieldwork
What are the benefits of becoming involved in research?
Involvement in research is one way for students to develop closer working relationships with faculty members.
Also, it is an opportunity to learn techniques and use equipment not generally accessible to undergraduates, and provides
practical experience useful in future employment or in graduate or professional school. In some cases, students have been
co-authors of research papers or given presentations at national meetings. Most importantly, a laboratory project allows you to
experience first-hand how scientific research is conducted and how scientists work and think. Such an experience can help you
decide whether you are interested in research as a component of a future career.
How can I become involved in research?
- Volunteer to work in a lab.
Valuable experience can be gained by volunteering to work in a research lab if your schedule does not allow for formal
credit options to be exercised.
- Research for Credit. (BIOSC 1903 or 1904 [Honors] or ARTSC 1900 Internship; S/N grades only)
- Students can earn academic credit for research, working about 4-7 hours per credit depending on the faculty sponsor.
You may register for 1-6 credits in a term, using up to 18 credits as free electives towards your 120 degree
credits required by the School of Arts and Sciences.
Typically, between 1 - 3 credits per term is earned, except perhaps for Seniors who have completed most of their requirements
and wish to devote considerable time to a research project. Keep in mind that 3 research credits may entail
between 9 and 15 hours per week the lab.
- Research credits CANNOT be used as BIOSC electives within any of the majors in the Department of Biological Sciences.
- Honors credits are reserved for students who have applied for graduation with Departmental Honors. See the
Departmental Honors page for more information.
- If you would like to work in a lab outside of the Department, you may still receive credits by arranging for a "local"
Departmental co-sponsor, who will work with you and your "external" sponsor to verify your participation and monitor
your progress. You can determine if a faculty if willing willing to sponsor your work by noting the
icon below their photograph on each faculty member's web page.
- If you are being paid to work in any research lab, you cannot receive these BIOSC credits. However, note that
Departmental Honors can still be awarded if research is done in this context.
Be sure to coordinate your efforts - and your paperwork - with both your mentor and the
Advising Office if this is the case.
- To register for undergraduate research, you must complete the appropriate form. Forms are available in the
Advising Office (A230 Langley), or you may download them,
and add the credits by consulting with a Biological Sciences advisor.
- Independent Study
You may choose the independent study (BIOSC 1901) option if your research does not require a great deal of direct supervision (for example, if it entails
much library work, or is performed off-site, like an internship). You may also enroll in BIOSC 1901 to earn credit for an internship experience.
For more information, see the Internships page. To enroll in BIOSC 1901, you will need to fill out the appropriate form,
just like for BIOSC 1903 or BIOSC 1904, and add the credits with a Biological Sciences advisor.
- Work/Study - If you are eligible, you can use this financial aid to work in a lab. The Work Study Job Directory is available in Alumni Hall
or online at www.pitt.edu/~oafa/wsjobs.html. Many of these positions involve routine
duties such as washing glassware, media preparation, etc. However, if you are diligent and demonstrate your interest in the work going on in the
lab, you may become involved in more complex activities, often as a research apprentice to a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow.
As of August 2003, these jobs pay one of three hourly rates: $6.00, $6.50 or $7.00. For more information view the
Work Study webpage or contact the Work Study Office in Alumni Hall,
624-7147 or 624-7180, or email at wrkstdy@oafa.pitt.edu with any questions.
- Student Job - If you are not eligible for work/study, you may still be able to work in a laboratory for pay. Student jobs are posted on
PantherTRACS. You can obtain a login and password for PantherTRACS in the
Career Services Office (224 William Pitt Union). These jobs usually tend to be clerical or low-level in nature. However, as with volunteering
they can be a good way to get your foot in the door, and can lead to more complex research experiences.
Also, faculty members in the Biological Sciences Department as well as in other departments (i.e., Medicine, Public Health, etc.)
occasionally post positions on the bulletin board outside A230 Langley. Some faculty members who have not posted positions may still be able
to pay you for doing research in their labs through their grants and other funding. It doesn't hurt to ask if you are interested in what they are doing!
- Departmental Honors Program
- The Departmental Honors Program emphasizes participation in independent research. You may apply for the program if your Overall and Biology GPAs are
3.25 or above. Along with conducting at least two semesters of research (equivalent to 6 credits), you must write and present a thesis in your senior year.
Students who successfully complete this program receive a certificate, and Departmental Honors is indicated on their University of Pittsburgh transcript.
For more information see the Departmental Honors page.
- Summer Research - The more flexible schedule available in the summer makes this season an ideal time for students to work intensively in a lab
in order to start up, expand or complete a project. Discuss these opportunities directly with the faculty member in whose laboratory you hope to work.
- Summer Fellowship Programs
- Many colleges and universities have formal summer programs with a stipend (salary) and sometimes room, board and/or travel. Most of these programs are
competitive, based on academic performance, and open to students from all over the U.S. Information is available in the Biological Sciences
Advising Office (A230 Langley Hall), usually beginning in October, and continuing as pamphlets and posters are received
from other schools. Extensive information is also available through the Undergraduate Research Experiences web page.
Many programs post information on their websites as well. Applications are generally due between January 15 and April 1. This is a great opportunity
to skip that summer job in a fast-food joint, make some money, and see the country while gaining valuable research experience. It is also good way to
explore the department at another institution and to meet and network with the faculty, especially if you are considering attending graduate school there.
You will also meet students from many other schools, who may be your future colleagues someday! You may also use the "Research Interests Search" box at the top of the Health Sciences site, (direct link here). The Clinical research page can be found here.
- Other Research Funding - Funding to pursue undergraduate research is available from a number of sources including the Honors College Chancellor's
Research Fellowship, the Beckman Scholarship, and many others. To research these opportunities, check out the
Office of Experiential Learning.
How do I choose a research laboratory?
To select a laboratory, you must first acquaint yourself with the research being conducted by the faculty.
The Faculty section of the Biological Sciences Department website will help you determine who's doing research of
interest to you. Once you have identified an area of research that interests you, make arrangements to talk directly to the faculty you have identified.
You may telephone, drop in, or email them. It is helpful to prepare a brief description (1-2 pages) of yourself, with your name, phone number, how much time
you have available, coursework or experience that you feel is relevant, and any special interests. This helps to make you a concrete, serious candidate
for consideration, rather than just somebody who walked in and back out without leaving a trace. Your initial contact with faculty members will probably
involve a general discussion of your background and interests; you may wish to ask for reading material in order to develop a better information base for
making a choice of a research area.
Can I get into the lab of my choice?
Each faculty member you talk to will assess whether s/he has room for you in the lab in a given semester, and
will decide if your background is sufficient to enable you to embark on a research experience. In general, most students at the
junior level and beyond can profit from a research experience. Before then, some students have sufficient background, but this
is an individual matter for discussion between the student and the faculty member. However, even if you are unable to begin
doing research before your junior year, you can begin by developing closer contacts with faculty members. You can identify
areas of research that interest you and you can initiate discussions with faculty members who are experts in these areas.
The faculty will assist you in identifying appropriate reading materials and will be happy to discuss your growing interest with
you. In this way, you will be able to prepare yourself for a future research project and/or career choice while becoming
better acquainted with individual faculty members.
Do many undergraduates in this Department participate in research?
Approximately 25-30 students are registered for some form of undergraduate research each term. A comparable number of students are doing
research as employment or on a volunteer basis.
Can doing research really make a difference in my career?
Doing undergraduate research should be viewed as something more than just an opportunity to add a line to your résumé.
Undergraduate research gives a student a hands-on opportunity to see what doing science is all about - complete with the
triumph of great results, the frustration of experiments that just won't work, the long hours doing sometimes tedious tasks before
the exciting part can be done, and the thrill of discovering something that - at first - you and only you know. It can be
helpful in preparing you for a career in biotechnology or academia, or indicate that these sorts of jobs are not what
interests you. For some, it lights the fire in inquisitive minds, and from that point onwards their thirst for scientific
discovery will drive them to great heights. Many faculty in this very Department were first "turned on" to science by doing
Undergraduate research. One of us is shown below, in her first year as an undergraduate researcher in a laboratory examining
development in insects; she remains fascinated by the subject to this day (can you spot her?).
Photo courtesy of Dr. Susan Brown (bottom, right), a post-doctoral associate in this laboratory at the time.
When not to become involved in research.
A research project requires a good deal of interest, input and self-motivation on your part, sometimes over
several terms. There are cases where it may not be productive to begin involvement in research. If you do not have time for your
classes now, adding 10-20 hours per week in a lab may hurt your grades. If you are only looking for a letter of recommendation
and have little interest in research, you may be unhappy in the lab, and not get a very good letter anyway. If it is the last
term before you graduate, you may not have time to get very far on a project. Consider these issues before you ask yourself and a
faculty sponsor to commit to a research project.
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BIOSC 1903/1904, Word
BIOSC 1903/1904, PDF