Getting started in research

Getting Started

As a part of your undergraduate studies in chemistry or biochemistry at Monmouth College you will conduct "research," CHEM 430. Engaging in research will allow you the opportunity to apply knowledge gained through your coursework to a specific area of science that is of particular interest to you. At Monmouth, we promote "faculty-mentored research," which means that you will have a faculty advisor who will assist you in formulating your research project. Each faculty member in the chemistry department has a specific area of expertise and the first step in getting started in research is to talk to all of the chemistry faculty about their research activities and see which faculty member's research is aligned with your interests and career objectives. All chemistry faculty are open to the conversation at any time; stop by and chat.

Excerpt from American Chemical Society Guidelines 2015

Conducting undergraduate research with a faculty advisor allows the student to draw on faculty expertise and encourages a student-faculty mentor relationship. The research project should be envisioned as a component of a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. It should be well defined, stand a reasonable chance of completion in the available time, apply and develop an understanding of in-depth concepts, use a variety of instrumentation, promote awareness of advanced safety practices, and be grounded in the primary chemical literature.

Summary from above statement:

Your research project will...

1) ...be well defined,

2) ...stand a reasonable chance of completion in the available time,

3) ...apply and develop an understanding of in-depth concepts,

4) ...use a variety of instrumentation,

5) ...promote awareness of advanced safety practices, and

6) ...be grounded in the primary chemical literature.

CHEM 430

COORDINATOR/ADVISOR: One of the chemistry faculty members is assigned as the "research coordinator" and, in addition, you will have a research advisor/mentor. This means that there are 2 faculty members overseeing your research experience.

TIME EXPECTATIONS: Research students are expected to spend four hours per week in the laboratory per 0.25 credit hour of CHEM 430. The traditional enrollment is for 0.25 or 0.5 credit hours, which translates into 4 or 8 hours of lab time each week. As with any class, additional time is required outside of lab (for example, reading, writing reports, preparing for presentations, and designing experiments).

RESEARCH STUDENT INFORMATION (RSI): Each research student will complete a RSI document at the beginning of each semester to be turned into the research coordinator and your research advisor. This document will indicate when you will be conducting research and will also be used to schedule any supplemental meeting times. It is suggested that your scheduled research time overlap with times your research advisor is also available.

PROPOSED PROJECT DESCRIPTION (PPD): Each research student will complete a PPD document, to be turned in to posted on this wiki. The document should be completed after consultation, and in conjunction with, your research advisor. The form represents an agreement between the research student and faculty advisor regarding the scope and nature of the project. The PPD document will contain the following information: student’s name, advisor/co-advisor’s name, project title, project description (small paragraph), general instrumentation needs, at least two starting references generally provided by the research advisor.

Kieft Summer Research

You are expected to read the literature in order to understand the intricacies of a research area with the goal of advancing our understanding of the given topic. In your research experience, you will be challenged by both the details of the research hypothesis and by the experimental procedures required to explore these previously uncharted waters.

Scientists engage in scholarly activities, generally referred to as “research.” The term “scholarly” is defined as, “showing knowledge and devotion to academic pursuits.”