Research Opportunities

There are many opportunities for students to carry out research in the laboratory of a faculty member. A broad spectrum of state-of-the-art research activities is performed at Yale in the MCDB and E&EB departments and in related departments including the Yale Medical School. This research is in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, neurobiology, physiology, environmental sciences, ecology and evolution. All interested students are encouraged to participate in research. Students may work in laboratories for academic credit and/or experience. Financial support may be available in some cases, but students being paid may not receive course credit.

The choice of a research laboratory should be made in consultation with faculty members and the director of undergraduate studies. Opportunities can be found on the following web sites: http://www.eeb.yale.edu and http://www.biology.yale.edu. Detailed descriptions of research programs in MCDB can also be found in a booklet entitled, Faculty Research and Graduate Education, which can be obtained from the director of undergraduate studies or the director of graduate studies.

Research Courses

During the academic year students can take either of two research courses, MCDB/E&EB 475 or 495. These courses are intended primarily for students who are culminating their undergraduate experience by doing independent research to fulfill the senior requirement. It is possible for students who wish to do research earlier in their course of study to take E&EB/MCDB 475 before their senior year, but it does not substitute for other course requirements. For research courses, hours are typically arranged at the mutual convenience of the student and the faculty adviser.

Students taking E&EB/MCDB 475a, b are expected to spend at least ten hours per week in the laboratory of a faculty member. This course can be taken more than once (or if planned in advance, for double credit). Students must reapply each semester to be enrolled, and at the completion of each term, a paper must be submitted to their professor. This course fulfills the senior requirement if one semester is taken in the senior year.

E&EB/MCDB 495 is intended for students who wish to do intensive research for the B.S. It is a year-long course, two credits each term, in which students are expected to spend at least twenty hours per week in the laboratory. At the end of the course, students prepare a paper describing the research they completed. One grade is given at the end of the second semester.

Summer Research

Yale students can also perform research with a faculty member during the summer months, which allows students to devote full-time effort to a research project. Summer research enables students to continue research that was initiated during the previous academic year or to begin research that will be continued during the following academic year. Sometimes the faculty member has grant funds that can support students during the summer. Other possibilities for financial support can be found at http://www.yale.edu/yser/fellowships.html. Interested students should consult a member of the Yale faculty or the director of undergraduate studies. Academic credit is not granted unless the student is registered in (and paying tuition to) the Yale summer school.

Summer research at other institutions is possible through several programs. This information entitled, "A Guide to Summer Research Opportunities for Undergraduate Students in Science and Engineering" is available on the web site: http://www.yale.edu/necuse. Yale does not award academic credit for research done at other institutions, even if done in the context of a course.

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