From the Baylor Lariat

By James Blake Ewing

Incoming freshmen have the chance to get a jump-start on research experience earlier in their college career.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute chose Baylor to participate in the Science Education Alliance with a three-year grant.

Dr. Tamarah Adair, senior lecturer in biology, and Dr. Bryan Gibbon, assistant professor of biology, got a chance to visit the institution’s headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md., on Thursday.

“Anything associated with HHMI is prestigious,” Gibbon said.

This month e-mails will go out to incoming freshmen who are required to take basic biology lab classes. The e-mail will include an application that will allow them to participate in the program instead of the normal biology lab.

The program is a two-semester biology class that counts as the two biology lab credits.

While the lecture part will cover biology basics, it will be adapted slightly to the BIO 1105 and 1106 labs that involve the research.

The research focuses on the discipline of microbiology and experimenting with bacteria associated with tuberculosis. This will give students a chance to work with real data.

“We think this is a better way to learn,” Adair said. “It’s an inquiry-based lab.”

All the information collected by participating universities is uploaded to a server. Students and professors can also communicate over a wiki. This wiki allows them to post and share a database of information online.

The Science Education Alliance includes more than 36 different schools that range from top-end universities to small community colleges.

“It’s quite a diverse group. They have tried to collect a wide group of universities,” Gibbon said. “They pretty much run the gamut.”

The cohort was started by Dr. Graham Hatfull, University of Pittsburgh professor. He wanted to get incoming freshmen involved in research since students usually don’t get the opportunity until their junior or senior year.

“The main thing we are trying to attempt is give them the opportunity to do something great in undergrad,” Adair said.

At the end of the school year there will be a summer symposium where each participating university sends a student and professor to present their findings to other universities.

While the program focuses on research, any student required to take a biology lab credit can participate.

Both Adair and Gibbon said they had research programs available for those who come out of their freshman year wanting more.

Adair and Gibbon hope this will help students get interested in contributing to the scientific dialogue.

“Having that real world research makes a big difference,” Gibbon said. “It really helps hone critical thinking skills and teamwork as people discuss certain possibilities.”

The program will help students obtain research positions with other professors at Baylor.

“When I recruit grad students I look for undergrad students who have research experience,” said Dr. Ryan King, associate professor of biology.

They hope that the experience lays a good foundation for students interested in research and motivates them to get into a good graduate school.

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