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Research conducted in the College of Food , Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) impacts people and businesses across the country and around the world in exciting ways. You can be a part of this excitement as an undergraduate student by including a research experience in your college program. Many opportunities are available to you. Conducting research can make a BIG difference in what you can achieve at Ohio State !
This website provides you with both the steps to take to get started and opportuities availble to you as an undergraduate researcher!
Planning and conducting a research project as an undergraduate gives you an invaluable opportunity to actively collaborate with a faculty researcher in an area of interest to you. Being able to include details of a well-done research project will look great on your resume!
A research project is a rewarding and productive experience so long as you are sufficiently motivated and prepared. There are ways and means to apply for funding for your project, get College, University, or Scholastic recognition for your efforts, and build upon the undergraduate curriculum to make you well prepared for a professional degree program or graduate school.
Once you have identified a research area of interest, contact a faculty advisor in that area. Finding a faculty advisor that shares your interests and is willing to work with you is a critical step. Begin to work with that faculty advisor to review your research interests. The faculty advisor can help you identify labs and other potential collaborators for your area of research. Once you have decided on one or more potential faculty advisors, you should begin to research the background by reading and familiarizing yourself with the field before contacting the faculty member(s) for an interview to discuss possible research ideas. Consider reviewing research conducted by each faculty member.
During the interview, you should expect to discuss a potential project you might be interested in; the time and effort expected of you, the laboratory personnel or graduate students with whom you might interact; and any other expectations the faculty member might have. Once you and your faculty research advisor have agreed to work together on a specific topic, you should also communicate this with your academic faculty advisor about registering for appropriate coursework to support your research efforts.
Ask yourself a few questions before selecting a research advisor. What is your major area of interest? When do you want to conduct research? Do you plan to continue on to a professional or graduate school?
Your faculty advisor can be a good sounding board for your research ideas. You can also begin to search the research areas of more than 200 current CFAES faculty members by visiting our Faculty Expertise Guide at: http://cfaes.osu.edu/science/facultyexpertise/expertise.php
For additional information, click on one of the links below:
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