Beyond the classroom: Opportunites are vast

  • Research opportunities exist year round
    • Shepherd - Independent research (fall/spring)
    • Shepherd - local- Summer programs/Internships
    • Regionally - Partnerships for West Virginia Students
    • Nationally (and beyond) - Semester and summer programs


  • Internships (paid or unpaid)
    • Industry
    • Healthcare
    • Animal Care
    • Data Science


  • Study Abroad programs (contact Dr. Samuel Greene)
    • Summer, semester and year long

Why should you pursue research opporunities?



  • Test the waters…
    • Is this something I could see myself doing my whole career?


  • Set your resume apart from others
    • STEM job market is competitive
    • Graduating undergraduate resumes are ‘light on content’
    • Output from research = Currency for future opportunities


  • Gain experience in chosen field…
    • embrace your natural science curiosity

Why should you pursue research opporunities?




  • Create a professional network
    • Many future opportunities are created by YOU
    • Collaborations can last your whole career


  • Broaden your horizons…
    • Work with people from all background due to the global nature of science

When should you start looking/applying???


  • Power through your first year and focus on grades
    • Set a standard for yourself
    • Learn how to be a great college student


  • Sophomore and Junior Years are ideal
    • You should be in a ‘college groove’
    • Many external programs target these years
    • Enough time to complete meaningful independent research
    • Build your resume in a sustainable way that also balances school


  • These are just suggestions!!!
    • Reflect on every semester and decide what you can, should, and want to do

Shepherd: Many faculty run small research programs

  • Do some background work:
    • Look at faculty profiles on department webpages
    • Build relationships with professors during courses
    • Search their research history online (Google Scholar)


  • Express an interest in related research to a faculty that resonates with you
    • Have some common interests to discuss
    • DO NOT: Hey Dr. C, I want research experience for med school, can I work in your lab?
    • You do not have to have a solid project in mind!


  • The realities of undergraduate research at Shepherd…
    • Faculty teach a lot! (this differs from other places)
    • Faculty have limited time for research
    • Don’t take it personally if we have to say ‘no’

Shepherd University: Internal research programs


  • Shepherd Opportunities to Attract Research Students (SOARS)
    • 10 week summer research program
    • Students receive a stipend (~$4,000)
    • Individual faculty mentors across STEM departments
    • Research often presented at WVAS conference
    • Applications and mentor list posted in January (due February)


  • NASA West Virginia Space Grant Consortium fellowship program
    • Students apply in September (all STEM fields)
    • Receive stipends for Fall and Spring research
    • Research presented at WVAS conference


  • KEY ADVICE: Talk to potential mentors before applying

Beyond Shepherd: What is an REU?


  • REU stands for research experience for undergraduates
    • provide opportunities for undergraduates to participate in meaningful research
    • purposefully remove the financial roadblocks to gaining research experience


  • REU’s are sponsored by major science funders (NSF, NIH) but can also be hosted independently by scientific institutions


  • REU’s provide experiences in every science discipline


  • Search “REU + insert your science field here”. They are easy to find.
    • the NSF also has a central source of all their REU listings

Beyond Shepherd: Regional opportunities are vast


  • West Virginia INBRE - Biomedical Summer Research (http://www.wv-inbre.net/)
    • Competitive federal research program of the National Institutes of Health
    • Open to the network of WV undergraduate institutions
    • Mentored research at WVU or Marshall University


  • Program specifics (applications due early February)
    • Students receive a stipend (~$6,000)
    • 9-week summer program
    • Work with faculty and graduate students
    • Present at research symposium


  • Lots of research topics: genetics and health, cancer biology, neurobiology, etc.
    • Covers many science disciplines

Beyond Shepherd: Regional opportunties are vast


  • Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) internships
    • https://serc.si.edu/internships
    • research experiences cover environmental chemistry, marine and estuarine ecology, molecular ecology, and terrestrial ecology


Beyond Shepherd: Pathway Programs are close (and far)

Beyond Shepherd: Industry internships are vast

DC and Frederick, MD are hotbeds for biotechnology

Find and use the listservs - job sites for your field of interest


  • Ecology and Environmental biology
    • ECOLOG-L (hosted by Ecological Society of America)


Gold Standard Opportunites: NSF-REU

  • National Science Foundation - Research Experience for Undergraduates


  • NSF REU programs cover most STEM disciplines
    • Many REU sites across the USA
    • Target sophomore and junior (not a hard rule)


  • NSF REU’s are competitive
    • Application window: November - February (you must actively search)
    • Likely need to apply for many in one cycle
    • Shepherd students are absolutely competitive!

Gold Standard Opportunites: NIH-SIP


  • National Institute of Health - Summer Internship program
    • https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip
    • Spend summer working with leading biomedical researchers
    • 8-week program with a stipend (changes yearly)
    • Provides additional career training
    • Present at symposium
    • Main campuses are near Baltimore & DC (others exist)


  • NIH SIP’s are extremely competitive
    • Application window: opens November 15th


  • Provide webinars and resources to help you apply
    • See website

Scan Me!!