Student Research Opportunities

Collaborative research between students and faculty is one of the greatest strengths of the Biology Department. Involvement in faculty research fosters an inquisitive attitude and prepares students for research-related employment and more advanced academic training in biology. Students are given many opportunities to collaborate with faculty on research projects, including curricular opportunities and paid positions. Students also may present research results at regional or national meetings.

Curricular opportunities – research tutorials are courses enrolling 6—8 upper-division students. Tutorial students work independently or in small groups to address questions within the scope of a faculty member’s research. Students enroll in tutorials during the academic year and often continue their research through independent study courses in one or more subsequent semesters, earning one course credit for each experience. Student research is presented at the end of each semester in the departmental poster session where students and faculty discuss results of their research over pizza.

Paid Academic Year Positions – students may also obtain paid academic-year positions in research labs, sometimes starting as early as their first year. Each faculty member may obtain financial support for student wages from various sources, including the Colgate Research Council. These opportunities frequently stem from curricular research.

Paid Summer Positions – Each summer about 80 science students remain on campus to conduct research. Summer research stipends ($350 per week for 8-10 weeks) are available from both internal and external sources. Awards are frequently based on the quality of a grant proposal written by a student in conjunction with a faculty sponsor. Individual faculty grants may also support summer research.

 

Research Areas in the Biology Department

 

Ecology and Field Biology	Cellular and Molecular Biology
Freshwater Ecology [Fuller / Hoham]	Regulation of Gene Expression [Hoopes / Kainz]
Terrestrial Ecology [Novak / Frey / McCay]	Host-parasite Interactions [Kainz]
Behavioral Ecology [Novak / McCay]	Mechanisms of Cell Division [Belanger]
Physiological Ecology [Hoham / Pruitt]	Cell Membrane Physiology [Pruitt]
Extreme Environments [Hoham]	Virology [Kainz]
Plant-animal Interaction [Frey]	Application of Molecular Techniques to Systematics and Ecology [McHugh ]
Organismal and Evolutionary Biology
Life cycles, mating strategies, and Systematics [Hoham / Frey]
Systematics, Taxonomy, and Classification [McHugh]