The field of research may have traditionally been associated with professors and graduate students, but it seems more undergraduate students at Ohio State are getting involved.
Recent statistics released by The National Science Foundation placed OSU 12th among some of the most respected institutions in the country, including Berkley, Cornell and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As if that was not enough incentive for students to become more involved in such a prestigious program, some undergraduates gave other reasons to explain the benefits of participation in research.
"Doing research as an undergraduate is invaluable for someone who is considering going into a research field," said Greg Kestin, a junior in physics and math. "It is almost impossible to get a feel for what a career in scientific research will be like by simply taking courses. Doing research gave me a much better feel for what I may do as a professional scientist."
Kestin spent 20-40 hours last summer working on research with mathematics, computing and theory integral to understanding what happens when heavy nuclei are smashed together.
Although his work in the physics department may have been fierce, Kestin still remained an average OSU student. When he's not processing quark-gluon plasma (which occurs when matter/energy is very densely concentrated), Kestin enjoys stand-up comedy. He has even traveled to New York City to perform and has created an educational comedic TV series that seeks to answer common scientific questions.
The benefit of undergraduate students such as Kestin becoming more involved with research is beneficial to the university.
"A vast number of undergraduate students are producing astounding research, which is a wonderful stimulus for learning and a tremendous excitement for students on campus," said Robert T. Grath, senior vice president for research. "It also allows us to recruit the best faculty members from around the world who are passionate educators."
OSU has also spent a large amount of funding on research programs. In 2005, the university spent $609 million dollars on research. Subsequently, that money turned over more than 20,000 jobs for people in the local economy.
The incentives for OSU undergraduate students to become more involved may be because of circumstances outside the high rankings and enormous expenditures.
"Participation in research has been extremely valuable for me," Brian Kiel said. "The toughest part to becoming a researcher is getting started, and I already have that taken care of."
Kiel is an undergraduate student who spent time working on research for the school of earth sciences. He has performed computer-based research for the past two years and authored one publication. His work entails the application of satellite remote sensing to the study of Earth's terrestrial freshwater, which is an important consideration in weather, climate and water resource management.
Job creation in the local economy and high university research rankings are accompanied by an astute sense of personal growth and career development in undergraduate students as a result of more research opportunities at OSU.
"There's exciting research going on in every one of our colleges across campus," McGrath said. "In turn, students are really engaged and excited."
Megan Hall can be reached at hall.936@osu.edu.
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Jana Kaplan
posted 9/04/07 @ 1:39 PM EST
Interesting article;well researched and written. I learned about the expanding undergrad research opportunities at Ohio State and why these efforts are important for the students and the institution. (Continued…)
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