Undergraduate Research

From your first semester as an undergraduate major in the Department of Biological Sciences, you will be encouraged to seek opportunities to work on research projects with Department Faculty.

Learn Through Research

You will learn more science by doing science, you will get to know and be known by at least one of our faculty members who in turn can act as a mentor and a reference for you. You may also have an opportunity to present your data at an undergraduate research conference or be a co-author on a peer-reviewed scientific publication.

Gain a Competitive Edge

All of these are good reasons for getting involved in research and all of the above will help to give you a competitive edge when seeking admission to advanced degree programs as diverse as medicine and molecular biology.

Gain Laboratory Experiences Through Courses

Even if you are not able to take advantage of the opportunity to work in one of the research labs during your undergraduate career, the department's courses will provide you with laboratory experiences ranging from molecular techniques to comparative anatomy and field work.

Start Your Undergraduate Research

If you have an interest in working in a research laboratory, gaining practical skills and learning about biology outside of the classroom, an undergraduate research project may be for you. We encourage you to apply for a $2,000 research grant that would fund your project! Students applying for these research grants must be doing research with a Biological Sciences faculty member.  The next call for grants will occur in 2024.

How To Get Started

• Talk to your advisor about your objectives and interests
• Talk to your peers who are participating in an undergraduate research project.
• Talk to the faculty person who is working in the biological area in which you have interest.

To get more information on undergraduate research contact Doug Cole at dcole@uidaho.edu.