Research complements classroom education for MSU undergraduates

By Lisa Acheson

MSU undergraduates have been participating with faculty in research and scholarly activity for more than 40 years.

And during that four-decade span, faculty mentors have been the heart and soul of providing this important – and some say essential – component to students' careers.

"Student learning through participation in the scholarly activity of faculty provides an engaging complement to traditional classroom education," says Ronald Fisher, director of the Honors College and professor of economics. "Undergraduate research reflects MSU's tradition of close association between faculty and students."

A major impact of undergraduate research is helping students bridge the gap between knowledge and experience.

"I think the undergraduate who enters a laboratory reaps a number of opportunities to learn about the ‘process' of science, the real world of science and unique opportunities to experience close interactions with graduate students, postdocs and professors in a very scholarly environment," says Douglas Luckie, assistant professor of physiology in Lyman Briggs School.

"And having undergraduates around keeps you on your toes, since they tend to ask really hard fundamental questions involving ‘why,'" Luckie says.

An important advantage of having cutting-edge research on campus is so undergraduate students can learn from scholars who are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and dedicated to opening doors to unknown territory.

Based on his 34-year experience of working with cisplatin, Surinder Aggarwal, professor of zoology, teaches a course in which he gives his students instructions on how to conduct research using cytochemistry.

He stresses the importance of cytochemistry as it applies to medical diagnosis and treatment, explaining to his students that the diagnostic kits on the market for diabetes, pregnancy and stool testings are all based on research involving cytochemistry.

"I require the students to design an experiment and conduct it as a class and then take different aspects of that experiment and pool the data to get an overall picture for the project," Aggarwal says. "I require each student to present results at an undergraduate forum at either the department or the University level."

He also requires undergraduates to write a publishable manuscript based on the format for the journal Histochemistry and Cyto-chemistry.

Evangelyn Alocilja, assistant professor of biosystems engineering, just returned to campus after spending a week at New Mexico State University where five of her students took home the first-place prize at the 11th International Environment Design Contest.

Alocilja says students receive tremendous benefits when asked to present their work to their peers or participate in a more formal competition.

"It provides extra challenges and develops creativity and holistic thinking in students while encouraging them to be resourceful and manage their time effectively," Alocilja says.

As for her role in mentoring students, Alocilja says she feels a sense of accomplishment in impacting the life of another individual.

"It's very rewarding when you see the energy that undergraduates bring to the research process. I feel it's our (the faculty's) responsibility to provide direction; the students certainly provide the energy and enthusiasm."

Justin McCormick, co-director of the Carcinogenesis Laboratory and associate dean for research in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, has involved undergraduates in his work since the lab opened in 1976. He explains that the graduate students who want to work in the lab must take an undergraduate under their wing and train them as they would an assistant researcher.

"Having this ‘buddy system' in place has proved to be a win-win situation for all those involved," McCormick says. "If I just wanted researchers, I'd hire postdocs, but there is such value on so many levels in having undergraduates in the lab.

"If students are thinking they want to devote their lives to science, they must have hands-on experience and that should happen in the early stages of their academic careers," McCormick says. "Undergraduate research is an intellectual exercise that helps students decide their future; a book simply can't provide those experiences."

McCormick tries to involve undergraduates in the work that goes on in the Carcinogenesis Lab as much as possible.

"When a young student is working with our team and is part of something really cutting-edge, like the discovery of a new gene, oftentimes a scientist is born right before your very eyes," he says. "You have students turning to you and saying, ‘I want to do this for a living, I want to make a difference,' and that's what it's all about."

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Copyright 2000 Michigan State University Division of University Relations.