Feature: MSU Leads the Way in Undergraduate Research

            The opportunity for undergraduate research at MSU has inspired some amazing students to make amazing contributions.

            Advancing knowledge, transforming lives.

            MSU’s catchphrase perfectly encapsulates one major activity that has been integral to the university’s mission throughout history—research.  Whether it’s inventing the anti-cancer drug that allowed Lance Armstrong to win seven Tour De France bycicle races, probing the elements that make up the cosmos, or helping discover better ways to farm, over the years MSU research has dramatically improved the quality of our lives, in Michigan and around the globe.

            The opportunity for research at Michigan State is not confined to just faculty members or doctoral students.  Indeed, MSU is a national leader in providing research opportunities to undergraduates.  That means that students seeking bachelor’s degrees—indeed, even freshmen—can participate in an academic exercise, under supervision of a professor, that can ultimately have an enormous global impact.

            “MSU takes pride in the one way the academic community communicates with the world and shares new knowledge and insights on issues that affect society, health, politics, economics, and the quality of our lives,” says Doug Estry, associate provost for undergraduate education.  “The ability of undergraduate students, the youngest members of the MSU community, to conduct research with some of the leading faculty members in the world is something that makes the MSU experience truly unique.”

The Research Experience

            The undergraduate research experience at MSU is a totally engaged, hands-on learning experience.  Taking on multiple forms, it includes scholarly and creative activities that lead to new knowledge, improve how we solve problems, offer new insights on common issues, or produce new artistic pieces. It also involves a faculty mentor, who works with students on an individual basis or in small groups.  Faculty mentors guide projects, teach techniques specific to their fields, and help students develop as emerging scholars. 

            For more than 50 years, MSU has been offering research options for academically talented students in every college across campus.  Funding from Provost Kim Wilcox has encouraged new undergraduate research opportunities to occur in every college with undergraduate degree programs.

            Across the university, MSU students who are exploring and pushing new boundaries are also discovering their amazing potential as students.  Some students, such as Michael Wiederoder, a senior biosystems engineering major, get their first research experience through the Honors College Professorial Assistant program.  As a first-year student, he was offered the opportunity to work with Dr. Evangelyn Alocilja from biosystems and agricultural engineering.  Three years later, he is still working in her lab, where he works to produce thin nanofibers that are used in biosensors to detect harmful microorganisms, such as E. coli and salmonella.  Sandte Stanley, a 2008 MSU graduate with a degree in psychology, became involved in research through the McNair SROP Scholars, a program that helps low income and minority students become connected with faculty mentors and acquire research skills necessary for graduate school.   Working with Karen Williams, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive biology, Sandte studied the effects of age and race differences in the understanding of cervical cancer.  Other students, like Max Braverman, a senior chemistry major in Lyman Briggs, work on his research outside of class. 

Benefits of Research Experience

            Perhaps nothing enhances a student’s college experience more than the opportunity to conduct research.

            “Undergraduate research has many benefits,” says Estry. “Students who conduct research develop analytical skills, improve their communication abilities by presenting and writing about their research, increase their self-confidence and independence, and demonstrate to future employers that they have gained hands-on experience while still in school.” 

            This last idea of receiving hands-on experiences is another reason the opportunity to do research appeals to students. 

            “Our undergraduate researchers frequently tell us that everything that they’ve been studying in class comes together during their research experiences,” says Estry. “They understand better why they have had to learn certain laboratory techniques or study a particular historical period.” 

            Kurtis Geerlings, a 2008 Lyman Briggs physics graduate, concurs.  “Without research, I would still know physics, but I would have no idea what a researcher does and what aspects of learning from the classroom were important once you graduated,” he explains.  

            Students who participate in an undergraduate research experience also frequently gain greater career clarification.  As Stephen Cendrowski, an assistant professor in the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics Program, puts it,  “Undergraduates are really just trying to understand, ‘Is this something that I want to do for the rest of my life?’” 

            By working one or two semesters on a project, students refine their interests in their major and future careers.  Participating in a research project also makes you stand out, says Wiederoder, who notes that it’s “an invaluable experience that makes you very attractive to employers, scholarship committees, and graduate schools.” 

            Undergraduate researchers also develop new networks on and off campus with both students and with faculty.  Tychele Turner, a 2008 genomics graduate, says that her research team provided her with another community on campus. “The lab is a place where I developed camaraderie with a small group of people who share a similar interest in learning,” she says.  Braverman adds that his faculty mentor, Rob LaDuca, provided him with “different perspectives and guidance” and opportunities to “grow on a personal and intellectual level.” 

            The networking provided by research extends beyond MSU.  Monica Van Klompenberg, a 2008 animal science graduate, enjoyed presenting her research at regional and national conferences. “These meetings have given me an opportunity to learn about other areas of research interest and about popular industry topics,” Van Komplenberg explains. “They also provided me with an opportunity to network with other students, faculty, and industry professionals.”  MSU undergraduate researchers have published their research as well. 

            Braverman, who has been working in the LaDuca lab since his first year in Lyman Briggs, has already co-authored 11 articles in peer-reviewed scientific publications.

            Research, even at the undergraduate level, also benefits the community. Turner has been working with Karen Friderici, chairperson of microbiology and molecular genetics, on studying the genetics of hearing loss.  “Research is the idea of being able to help someone—that what we’re doing will make a difference,” she sums up. 

The Research Forum

            Browse through MSU’s program book of the 2008 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF), and one sees hundreds of research projects with practical connections that can help society, such as developing a faster way to detect E. coli bacteria in recreation waters, or conducting a cost analysis on the benefits of “green” materials for buildings.  Through a research experience, MSU students see how research can inform teaching and practice. 

            For 10 years, MSU has sponsored the UURAF, which is an opportunity for students to showcase their scholarship and creative activity to the university community. Held every spring, the forum brings together highly motivated students to share their research and to compete for monetary awards. 

            This year’s forum was the largest in university history with 500 students from 14 colleges giving 332 presentations (120 of them oral).  The students were mentored by 265 faculty members representing 15 colleges.  Award winning topics included the role of DNAJ-like protein in fatty acid metabolism, the influence of MySpace and Facebook events on interpersonal relationships, Latin American music for the saxophone, and the impact of bottled water use by MSU students.

The Venture Database

            Venture (venture.msu.edu) is MSU’s on-line database of undergraduate research opportunities. Designed to connect faculty mentors and aspiring undergraduate scholars, the database provides an easily navigable platform for MSU faculty members to recruit outstanding emerging undergraduate researchers and an on-line system where students can search for projects at any time of the day.

            With Venture, faculty can recruit qualified and interested undergraduate students quickly and efficiently, post research projects and creative activities, edit projects at any time, designate another person to monitor and process applications, and streamline the recruitment, application, and hiring of undergraduate scholars.  Students can learn more about undergraduate research opportunities, search for projects by key words or faculty name, request notification when newly posted projects meet their search criteria, and apply for projects on-line.

Korine Steinke WawrzynskI is MSU’s coordinator of undergraduate research.

KRISTEN LEE:  RACE AND PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS

            Kristen Lee, a 2008 broadcast journalism graduate from Lowell, did research as an undergraduate that is especially timely.  She studied how the issue of race was handled by the media’s coverage of Senator Barack Obama’s presidential race.  Lee did her research under the guidance of journalism professor Geri Alumit Zeldes. 

            Lee collected print and radio transcripts from Hawaiian and Michigan mainstream media. She also interviewed political reporters from each of the media venues as well as other prominent experts.

            “This research is very relevant as the 2008 presidential election draws near,” says Kristen. “Voters have the right to know how the media is portraying these potential presidential candidates.”

            Lee currently is working in Washington, DC as an intern for National Public Radio’s show, Tell Me More with Michelle Martin.  She says she hopes her work will help provide accuracy in media coverage.

ANTHONY REACH: ART AROUND THE WORLD

            A native of Ann Arbor, Anthony Reach graduated in December 2007 with a degree in studio art.  As an artist, he takes a different approach to research. 

            “For an artist, research is an everyday experience,” Reach says.  “The studio is basically the artist’s lab.” 

            When he begins to prepare a concept for painting, he studies the materials needed for the project, such as the viscosity of paint and how to make certain mediums to add to the paint.  He also references the literature, history, music, and a pool of historical and contemporary artists before beginning. 

            Anthony is interested in how art teaches one to “see” and how it encourages social change. “With art, you re-create the world around you,” he says. “Art gives you the ability to simplify, exaggerate, and distort. You are given the chance to literally use freedom of speech or expression to make a difference.  Art forces the viewer to consider issues or content that society does not want to acknowledge.” 

            Since January 2008, Anthony has been working with artist Julie Mehretu in her Okemos studio and recently relocated to Berlin, Germany to work with her for two years on two very distinct exhibitions: The Deutsche Guggenheim and her commissioned 30 ft x 80 ft mural for the new World Trade Center Goldman Sachs Bank. Reach remarked, “This opportunity has taken my undergraduate education to a whole new level.  I am able to utilize all the skills that I have acquired through the Art Department at MSU, while also learning new ones from a distinctly established artist.” Reach will work with Julie Mehretu in Berlin until September 2009 and then plans to attend graduate school for further studies in painting.

TYCHELE TURNER: HELPING PEOPLE TO HEAR

            “Research is the idea of being able to help someone—that what we’re doing will make a difference,” says Tychele Turner, a 2008 graduate in genomics.

            A native of Westphalia, Turner came to MSU as a first-year student to play golf on MSU’s women’s golf team.  During her sophomore year, several faculty members encouraged her to find a research position. After doing her own research on opportunities available to her, Turner was invited to work in Karen Friderici’s lab, studying the genetics of early progressive hearing loss.  People commonly begin to lose their hearing when they age.  Progressive hearing loss, however, occurs earlier in life, often in the 20s.

            “This research can help explain human hearing loss and how proteins are important in maintenance and repair in the ear,” says Turner, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine this fall. 

ANDRE?A MINELLA:  ANIMAL WASTE (220)

            Hailing from Hauppauge, NY, Andréa Minella graduated from MSU this spring with a degree in animal science. 

            During her freshmen year at MSU, Minella worked with Nathalie Trottier, associate professor of animal science, whose research examined applied swine and horse nutrition. Minella’s research focused on equine urinary nitrogen excretion.

            “Animal waste can have detrimental effects on the environment if not managed carefully,” says Minella. “The current method of determining urinary nitrogen excretion is not feasible for most horse owners.” 

            Accordingly, she worked to develop a more efficient way to measure horse nitrogen excretion that utilizes a simple blood test. As the primary undergraduate researcher, Andréa participated in nearly every aspect of the research project. She fitted six geldings with urine collection harnesses and traveled each day to the Horse Research and Teaching Facility to collect the horses’ feces and urine. In the laboratory, she ran several tests on the samples to determine the total nitrogen levels, ammonia concentrations, amino acid compositions, and urea concentrations.

            Reflecting on the benefits of engaging in a research experience, Minella commented: “I am a hands-on learner and benefited immensely from conducting research, as it allowed me to use the science I had learned about in class.” 

            Minella will pursue her graduate degree in veterinary medicine this fall at Michigan State University.

ALEX LINDSEY:  ROOT GROWTH IN PINE TREES

            You might have heard Alex Lindsey, a native of Williamston, at a Spartan home football game.  In 2007 he was the section leader of the Spartan Tuba section in the Spartan Marching Band. When Lindsey was not practicing on the field, he was probably in one of the greenhouses researching how soil type affects root growth in pine trees and how soil type and root volume influences drought tolerance.  

            Like many students, Lindsey says he wasn’t aware of research opportunities as a first-year student. “I became a teaching assistant for one of my professors, Jason Kilgore, and my research opportunity came about from interacting with him.”  

            Research has taught Lindsey a great deal about the scientific method, and it was fun.  “I enjoyed the intensive hands-on aspect his project allowed,” notes Lindsey, who graduated in spring 2008 with a degree in crop and soil science.  He currently is a technical sales representative for the Wilbur-Ellis Company, an international marketer and distributor of agriculture and industrial products in Wisconsin.

MEGAN BLOCK:  MICHIGAN’S ECONOMIC FUTURE

            A native of Beal City, Megan Block graduated in spring 2008 with a degree in international relations major from James Madison College. 

            “I’ve always been interested in agricultural issues that impact the state of Michigan, so I came to MSU wanting to get more involved,” says Block.  And getting involved she did.  During her junior year, Block took professors Ross Emmett’s and Brian Ritchie’s course, Michigan Futures in the Global Economy. 

            “My professors motivated me to think about economic development differently,” Block explains.  “I studied means to restructure the Michigan economy in ways that would halt current deterioration and lead to future growth.”

            Class projects and discussions led to her interest in the future of promoting entrepreneurship in the biofuels industry in Michigan.  Megan currently works for IBM as a Public Sector Consultant, where she works to solve major supply chain and organization problems that have led to functional inefficiencies and ineffective uses of public resources.

KURTIS GEERLINGS: SPARTYJET

            Kurtis Geerlings, a 2008 graduate in physics from Lyman Briggs College, hails from Holland, MI.  Working with physics professor, Dr. Joey Huston, Kurtis developed a computer software program called “SpartyJet” that runs different jet-finding algorithms. 

            “Jets are sprays of particles that result from hard collisions in proton-proton collisions within a collider,” Geerlings explains. “In particle physics experiments, a collider may produce thousands or millions of particles. The detectors then find the particles. Software is used to group these jets, making it easier for scientists to measure and quantify information about the collision.” 

            The program is being used by scientists at the ATLAS Experiment at the European Centre for Nuclear Research, the world’s largest particle physics center, and at the Collider Detector at Fermilab. Kurtis is pursuing his Ph.D. in physics at Yale University.

ADEKUNBI ADELAKUN: PROTECTING AGAINST ANTHRAX

            Adekunbi Adelakun came to MSU from Detroit, graduating in medical technology in December 2007.  Adelakun had never even heard about research in high school, but that didn’t stop her. 

            “You have to try something new to see if you really like it or not,” she explains.  She applied to be a part of the McNair Scholars program, which helped her to gain the skills that she needed and connected her to Stephen Cendrowski, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, who studies the organism that causes anthrax.  

            Adelakun currently works at Ingham Regional Medical Center as a medical technologist and is preparing for the MCAT exams.

THE PURL PROGRAM

            MSU boasts a unique program called PURL, an acronym for Promoting Undergrad Research in the Life Sciences.  

            Directed by Alex Shingleton, assistant professor of zoology, PURL is an innovative undergraduate research opportunity for students with little or no exposure to the sciences. The program takes four years.

            In their first year, students take an introductory course that covers everything about research—what it involves, how to become a researcher, and even a survey of research careers. The course consists of eight one-hour seminars and three field trips to research facilities in Michigan, both commercial and academic.

            In the second year, the novel concept of laboratory rotations is introduced.  Pairs of students spend seven weeks in four laboratories, shadowing other student researchers and participating in the life of the lab.  This exposes students to a working laboratory, provides students with hands-on experiences, and serves as an audition for potential future positions in the laboratory.

            In years three and four, students are placed in a lab as a paid research intern.  This is when the “real” research begins.  By the end of the experience, students have gained enough experience to become more competitive candidates for employment or graduate school.