{"id":996,"date":"2013-09-05T07:55:45","date_gmt":"2013-09-05T12:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/?p=996"},"modified":"2013-12-11T08:36:37","modified_gmt":"2013-12-11T14:36:37","slug":"students-spend-the-summer-researching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/2013\/09\/05\/students-spend-the-summer-researching\/","title":{"rendered":"Students spend the summer researching"},"content":{"rendered":"

As originally posted in “The Optimist” on September 5, 2013:<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n

By Maggie Marshall
\nPosted on September 5, 2013<\/p>\n

\n

Over 50 students from at least 12 departments conducted research across the country this summer.<\/p>\n

Research was supported in part by grants and conducted from New York to California, covering subjects such as wildlife on the Dyess Air Force Base, the effect of having too much choice and the role of technology in higher education.<\/p>\n

Undergraduate research projects are overseen by a faculty member and are thus often related to the interests of that professor.<\/p>\n

\"Tanner\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI worked with Dr. Joshua Brokaw<\/a>,\u201d said Tanner Hamilton, junior biology major from Fort Worth. \u201cPrior to the project, I had him as a professor freshman year but didn\u2019t know him on a personal level. Now I do and can talk to him comfortably one-on-one, first name basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Jennifer Shewmaker, associate professor of psychology worked with Caitlyn Spain, junior marketing major from Denton, over the summer and is continuing research into this semester.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at children\u2019s responses to gendered product packaging,\u201d Shewmaker said. \u201cWe\u2019re studying something called stereotype threat\u2026 the idea that we all have parts of our identity that we\u2019re aware that other people are going to make judgments about us because of.\u201d<\/p>\n

This kind of hands-on research is a special experience, said Shewmaker.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the very beginning, she\u2019s a part of what I\u2019m doing and that is so rare, to get to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of the undergraduate research is done during the summer, but it often continues into the school year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still working on ours,\u201d Shewmaker said.<\/p>\n

Students often benefit from having a faculty mentor. The wisdom and knowledge that is shared between professor and student is one rarely seen during the regular school year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has been very helpful and willing to teach and instruct me,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n

Research reinforces classroom knowledge and ultimately leads to a better understanding of the topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is super hands-on for her,\u201d Shewmaker said, \u201cso she\u2019s gaining so many valuable experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

These hands-on experiences differ quite a bit from a typical lecture-based class.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy project is a biology major specific one, specifically genetic variance in a specific genera of South American rodent,\u201d said Hamilton. \u201cThere is no classroom involved. It\u2019s strictly a laboratory setting with a few hours a week of active work in the lab performing experiments and interpreting data\u2026 it really helps in the application of concepts and classroom knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

From beginning to end, students are involved in these research projects. They help choose what to research, gather data, conduct tests and see every aspect of the project through to the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a huge opportunity because, for example, Caitlyn, she\u2019s involved in every aspect, every phase of my research,\u201d said Shewmaker.<\/p>\n

Hamilton said undergraduate research made him commit to learning about the subject he was researching.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is also preparing me for next level after college because you have to hold yourself accountable. I would suggest it to anyone with any interest just to see what it\u2019s like and to help with the comprehension of material.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experiences like that of Hamilton and Spain are not often found at other universities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sets our graduates apart because a lot of students who go to larger universities aren\u2019t going to get hands-on, one-on-one mentoring with a faculty member,\u201d Shewmaker said. \u201cIt\u2019s something at ACU that\u2019s really special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such extensive research cannot remain a secret, however. Every year, students who participated in research get to show off their hard work at the Undergraduate Research Festival.<\/p>\n

The festival is held to celebrate and recognize the students who participated in research that year. Applicants must be current undergraduates or recent graduates from a local college. Presentations can be in the form of a paper or a poster presentation and students must fill out an application and meet certain standards to be accepted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been a part of the Undergraduate Research Festival since we started it,\u201d said Shewmaker, \u201cand it has just grown and it\u2019s really, really fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next Undergraduate Research Festival is scheduled for April 1, 2014 and will feature students who conducted research April 2013 \u2013 April 2014.<\/p>\n

Students interested in ACU Undergraduate Research can visit blogs.acu.edu\/undergradresearch\/ and click on Get Involved!<\/p>\n

The festival brings people together from all disciples across the university from the sciences to literature.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what being a university is all about,\u201d Shewmaker said. \u201cIt\u2019s about learning and growing together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As originally posted in “The Optimist” on September 5, 2013: By Maggie Marshall Posted on September 5, 2013 Over 50 students from at least 12 departments conducted research across the country this summer. Research was supported in part by grants … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7079,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55130],"tags":[55717,55728,55720],"class_list":["post-996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brokaw-lab","tag-genetics","tag-mammalogy","tag-systematics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7079"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=996"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":999,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/996\/revisions\/999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/biologyresearch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}