Research Experience
At its core, science is an active pursuit aimed at understanding the natural world. Students who desire to be scientists must move beyond their textbooks and develop the skills necessary to create knowledge rather than just memorize facts in textbooks that have been previously demonstrated. These skills which include the generation of a hypothesis, the designing of experiments, troubleshooting experiments, making precise measurements, completing statistical analyses, and communicating findings are only developed with meaningful laboratory research experiences. To this end the Biology Department at Boston College offers three primary research opportunities to our students that also allow them to earn credit toward their Biology or Biochemistry degree – Research for Credit with a Biology faculty member, Research for Credit off-campus, or Advanced Experience Laboratory Courses.
Research for credit can be completed either on campus with a Biology faculty member or off-campus with pre-approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. In either case students can earn 3 credits per semester for independent research. If a student completes research for credit for two different semesters they can use those credits to fulfill their advanced experience requirement.
Individual labs both on campus and throughout the Boston area have independent hiring processes and specific expectations that align with their research goals. Thus, students are encouraged to explore opportunities with multiple faculty members to identify a lab that will provide them with the experience that best suits their needs. Furthermore, students should be aware that clinical research opportunities, while potentially valuable, do not meet the Biology Department’s requirements for research credits.
Students who are interested in research but do not know where to begin should read faculty websites and speak with the professors and teaching assistants for their foundational courses in addition to their academic advisor to gain advice.
Advanced Experience Laboratory courses are offered every semester and are available during registration for any student who has completed the necessary prerequisites.
Paid positions, with Biology faculty members or off campus, CAN NOT be used for credit.
Undergraduate Research Contract Forms
These courses are typically offered only to juniors and seniors who have completed substantial course work related to the topic of research. These lab courses are small with enrollment capped at 12 students. The small size of these course gives the instructor flexibility to alter the experiments when the data supports a change in direction.
Each of these courses represents a deep dive into a specific biological field and trains the students to work as teams to develop a research proposal, design experiments, test their hypotheses, and communicate their findings. As such, these courses are taught within the specific expertise of the instructor and utilize cutting-edge techniques and approaches that applied in academic, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical labs across the world. In the best case scenario, students will produce novel data that is suitable for a research publication.
Some Examples of recent Advanced Experience Laboratory Courses include:
- BIOL4075 Research in Phylogenetics
- BIOL4830 Research in Molecular Biology Lab
- BIOL4870 Research in Molecular Genetics Lab
- BIOL4890 Investigations in Cellular Re-Programming
- BIOL5450 Advanced Lab in Cell Imaging
Undergraduate research requires a significant time commitment from both the student and the faculty mentor. Students are required to be working in the lab for 10h/week in order to earn credit but often times, truly meaningful research experiences can require additional hours with senior students often working 20 hours or more in a given week.
Every faculty member has their own philosophy on training and their own hiring process so students are encouraged to identify several faculty members researching topics that they find interesting and then discuss opportunities with each faculty member. The best mechanism for identifying faculty research interests is to visit their lab webpage and reading some of their recently published works. A full listing of faculty.
As stated above, every lab has its own hiring process but it is not unusual for students to begin working with a faculty member during their sophomore year. Students who start early will typically work in the same laboratory for the remainder of their time at Boston College if they remain interested in research.
The academic year concludes with undergraduate research day. At this event, held the first Friday in May, students who have done research for credit present their work to their peers, the PhD students, and the faculty in the form of a scientific poster. Additionally, students who write a thesis are recognized as is the winner of the Balkema Award which is given to the student who has written the most exceptional Senior Thesis each year.
Students who are interested in undergraduate research but who have research interests that are not within the expertise of the Boston College Biology Faculty are encouraged to seek out opportunities elsewhere in Boston. There are many Institutions, particularly research hospitals associated with local medical schools, that can provide opportunities to Boston College students.
Students who wish to pursue off-campus research should speak with the Assistant DUS and/or the DUS to ensure that their experience is suitable for credit. In general, the research position must meet the following expectations:
- It must be a research opportunity in a biological laboratory, not a clinic
- The project should be specific and focused on a biological question
- There should be proper mentorship from someone with a PhD or MD
- A minimum of 10 h/week of work is required
- No payment can be received by the student
Undergraduate Research Day
Research Opportunities
For on-campus research, students will need to make contact with an individual faculty member who will agree to supervise you in his or her laboratory. To find a faculty member, look at their research activities and see if you are drawn to specific areas of interest. You can contact professors, visit their labs, and talk to your peers to help make your decision. As a special honor, students can be selected by professors to serve as a paid Undergraduate Research Fellow. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the many research opportunities that are available off-campus in biomedical institutions around the Boston area.
Once an opportunity has been found by a student, the student must bring the Undergrad Research Contract Form to the Biology Department for approval either before or during the course registration period.
Note that paid positions, both on and off-campus, do not count towards university credit.
Undergraduate Research Contract Forms
Senior Thesis Program
Students working in a faculty laboratory who wish to write a thesis may sign up for Biology Senior Thesis, with support and approval of their laboratory advisor.
- The decision will be at the discretion of the faculty research adviser and there is no minimal GPA requirement.
- The decision or intent should be made early in senior year; the student will sign up for the Biology Senior Thesis Research (BIOL4962) in their final semester.
- All Senior Theses must be turned into the Department by the last day of classes to receive credit for the Senior Thesis course.
- The Department will prepare format guidelines and a timeframe for completing the thesis by the semester deadline.
- All students completing a Senior Thesis will be recognized at Undergraduate Research Day.
- Theses completed and turned in by the designated deadline will be considered for the Balkema Prize, judged by a faculty committee to be “Best Senior Thesis”
Students participating in the Senior Thesis Program may also be eligible to apply for the Scholar of the College Program. Students who are accepted in this program will register for a six-credit Advanced Independent Research course (BIOL 4921) each semester of their senior year.