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Summer Research in Biology

Summer research is a great experience, and the Biology Department urges all biology majors to spend at least one summer of their undergraduate years conducting research. You will find that doing research in the summer is much more focused and more productive than research during the academic year. Working full-time on research will give you a much better idea of what it’s really like to have research career, and most graduate schools and fellowships programs want to see research experience on your resume. Your research mentor will also be able to write a letter of recommendation for you that is much more detailed and persuasive than a professor who only knows you from one course.

There are lots of summer research opportunities both here at Mudd and elsewhere. Working at Mudd is a great way to jump start your senior thesis or to find out if you’d like to work in a particular professor’s lab in the future. Working off-campus exposes you to new places and people and can provide opportunities to work in areas that aren’t available on-campus. Either way, you can’t lose!

Note that most summer research programs have deadlines early in the spring semester, so winter break is a good time to select programs that interest you and work on your applications.

Finding Biology Research Opportunities Elsewhere:

• NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) allows you to search for REU programs by research area and state.

• Try using Google with search terms “summer undergraduate research biology site:.edu” (without the quotes). Be sure to check that programs take students from other campuses.

Biology Research Opportunities at Harvey Mudd:

• Program information:

  All Biology Summer Research Students are expected to work full-time for 10 weeks during the summer with a faculty member in the HMC Biology Department. The exact starting and ending dates are stipulated by the faculty advisor. Depending on the source of funding, students may also be required to participate in other activities, such as weekly seminars by research participants. Stipends for 2007 HMC summer research students are expected to be approximately $3,900 for rising sophomores and $4,000 for rising juniors and seniors.

• Available projects:

  See the list of available projects for 2007 with project descriptions, mentors, and required background.

• Application Process:

  1. Pick up a summer research application from Molly in the Biology office, or download the PDF.
  2. Look at the list of available projects and mentors, and talk to the relevant faculty mentor(s) about the project(s) that interest you.
  3. Turn in your research application to the Biology office by Wednesday, February 28, 2007. We will try to notify students about positions by Friday, March 9th.

• Financial Support for Summer Research:

  Summer research students in the Biology Department are supported by funds from a variety of sources. The Harvey Mudd Biology Department has been the fortunate recipient of funds to endow three summer research fellowships:

  • The Emily H. Mudd Summer Research Fellowship was established with a bequest from Emily Mudd and supports an Emily Mudd Research Fellow each summer.

  • The Munzer Summer Research Fellowship was established with a generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Rudolph J. Munzer and supports a Munzer Summer Research Fellow approximately every two out of three summers.

  • The William K. Purves Summer Research Fellowship was established with a lead gift from and additional donations from many HMC faculty and biology alumni to honor Dr. Bill Purves, the founding member of the HMC Biology Department, on his retirement. This endowment supports a Purves Summer Research Fellow approximately one out of three summers.

  In addition, several grants and awards to Harvey Mudd College can support summer research students in the Biology Department. Funding is currently available from grants to HMC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Keck Foundation, and the Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program. Students and faculty interested in Environmental Biology may also apply for funding from the HMC Center for Environmental Studies.

Please contact Prof. McFadden if you have additional questions.