Program Answers the Call to Better Prepare Students for Science Careers
Beginning this week, Duquesne is hosting 101 college students on campus to explore science-related fields and careers at its 21st annual Undergraduate Research Program (URP), one of the largest programs of its kind in the state.
Student attendance at the summer program has more than doubled since 2012. The URP comes at a time when the country is looking to educate more students in scientific fields.
The program brings students from Duquesne and other institutions to campus for 10 weeks to experience a comprehensive science program that touches a variety of disciplines. It is primarily funded by the Bayer School of Natural and Environment Sciences (BSNES), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“The program allows students to become immersed in research,” said Philip Clarke, director of student services for BSNES. “They dive into a research project and work side-by-side with faculty and graduate students with the goal of advancing science and making discoveries.”
The URP also provides students with valuable experience that helps them compete for doctoral opportunities across the country, gain acceptance to professional schools or work in industry, Clarke added.
“They can speak to a prospective employer about the full extent of the research they’ve done, including conferences they’ve attended and scientific presentations they’ve made,” Clarke said. “It really helps to build their resume and experience.”
The program includes the Pain and Neurodegenerative Undergraduate Research Experiences (PURE/NURE), a NIH-funded project that is designed to encourage students to push forward in research fields that treat pain and neurological disorders.
“As the population ages, there is an increase in the number of people suffering from pain and neurodegenerative disorders,” said Dr. Benedict Kolber, associate professor of biological sciences. “We will need more people to both research these conditions and treat them, and programs like this help to build the pipeline now.”
As part of PURE/NURE, students visit clinics and talk with neurologists and pain specialists, allowing them to see the connection between pain research and clinical treatment, Kolber said. The program also provides student interaction with patients to help personalize the research, he added.
Dr. Kolber is one of Duquesne’s four co-directors of the PURE/NURE programs, along with Dr. Kevin Tidgewell, associate professor at the School of Pharmacy, and Professors Dr. Michael Cascio and Rita Mihailescu from the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.
A NSF-funded project of the URP is the long-running Chemistry Research Experience for Undergraduates. Dr. Jeff Evanseck, BSNES professor and the Lambert F. Minucci Endowed Chair in Engineering and Computational Sciences, has overseen the program since 2004.
Regional and national students from Massachusetts to California will work alongside 40 Duquesne faculty members from BSNES, the School of Pharmacy, the Biomedical Engineering Program, the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts and the Rangos School of Health Sciences.
The URP will conclude on July 27 with its Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, where all students will present their research in a poster session for faculty and fellow participants.