Student 研究的机会

Student research activities in the 理学院 are central to the San Jose State University mission 有三种方式:

1. 研究 expands the base of human knowledge,
2. Engagement in research is a pathway to student success, and
3. 研究 activity weaves the scholarly tapestry that enriches the lives of every member of the university community.

How do I join a research group?

If you would like to join a research group, here are three simple steps to take:

1. Look through the websites of the faculty-led research groups and choose two or 三个你感兴趣的.  The links for research groups in each department are below!  大多数教师接受 research students year-round, whenever there is a good fit.

研究 groups in each department:

• 生物科学
• 化学
• 计算机科学
• 地质
• 数学与统计
• Meteorology and Climate 科学
• 海洋科学和MLML
• 物理学与天文学 

2. Email the professors who lead the two to three research groups that interest you and request an appointment to talk about research. It is helpful if you tell the professor your current year (i.e. 一年级,二年级, 等.), your major and concentration, and any coursework that might prepare you for this 科研训练 experience.

3. Meet with the professors, and ask what your project would be and how much time 承诺是必须的. This is also a great opportunity to see first-hand what each professor’s mentoring style is like and if it is a good fit for you.

When you find a research mentor that is a good fit and they offer you a 科研训练 experience, accept their offer! Usually, you should enroll in at least 一个 unit of a 180 course (undergraduate research) each semester that you participate with the 学院研究导师. These 180 units can count toward elective units in many majors. 玩得开心! This may well prove to be 一个 of the most transformational experiences in 你的职业生涯.

还有，看看这些 student research support programs to see if you qualify for any of these federally-funded programs directed by 菠菜网lol正规平台 faculty that could provide you with financial support. 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why undergraduates students should get 科研训练

  • In the sciences, it is widely understood that graduate students should engage in research training with faculty mentors to integrate the knowledge and skills they have learned in traditional courses and to more deeply engage in the scientific process.  成为 a scientific researcher, teacher or medical professional requires the ability to integrate a wide array of technical skills and basic knowledge.  However, we in the 菠菜网lol正规平台 College of 科学 have also found that undergraduate students greatly benefit from learning how to integrate scientific information and skills to solve complex, open-ended problems in real world science through undergraduate 科研训练.

    In the 理学院 at 菠菜网lol正规平台, we strongly encourage undergraduate students to 获得研究培训. Engaging in student research experiences with personalized mentoring by caring, knowledgeable, and dedicated faculty members is a highly effective way for undergraduates to both reinforce their knowledge and develop their advanced 解决问题的能力.

• Benefits of undergraduate 科研训练 for 菠菜网lol正规平台 students

  • Many studies have now confirmed that a number of benefits accrue to students that participate in UG 科研训练:

    1. Gains in knowledge and skills, including enhanced content mastery, creative thinking, 解决问题的能力, technical skills, and communication skills.
    2. Academic achievement and educational attainment, including higher retention rates, grades, persistence in the major, graduation rates, and admission to graduate and 专业的学校.
    3. Professional growth, including enhanced ability to work in teams, strengthening of professional networks, and enhanced professional credentials.
    4. Personal growth, including enhanced ability to learn independently, stimulation of curiosity, increased confidence, and enhanced development of personal initiative.

    Furthermore, the benefits are especially profound for students from underrepresented groups where engagement in research correlates positively with virtually all student 成功的结果. This is critical at 菠菜网lol正规平台 where more than 一个 quarter of students identify as first generation college students and over a third identify as groups that are underrepresented in the sciences.

• Benefits of undergraduate 科研训练 to 菠菜网lol正规平台

  • While the significant benefits of undergraduate 科研训练 for students provide ample justification on their own, there are numerous additional benefits to the university 社区也是如此. Beyond the obvious benefit of any research enterprise of generating new knowledge that benefits society, supporting UG research experiences also strongly 对机构有利. 教师 cite involvement of undergraduate students in their research as a highly desirable part of their jobs because:

    1. Training undergraduates can help them achieve their scholarly outcomes.
    2. It helps break down barriers between faculty and students.
    3. 这影响了他们的教学.
    4. It increases their job satisfaction.

    Therefore, maintaining a vigorous undergraduate 科研训练 program can be viewed as having benefits for both faculty recruiting and retention. 除了利益之外 individual faculty, the institution benefits from undergraduate 科研训练 by:

    1. Building a community of scholars.
    2. Deepening relationships with alumni.
    3. Providing opportunities to engage the community.
    4. Enhancing the institution’s reputation.
    5. Building extramural funding.
• How are undergraduate students engaged in research at 菠菜网lol正规平台?

  • Undergraduate 科研训练 is not uncommon in higher education. 几乎每一个 university that supports research allows undergraduate students to participate in 科研训练 opportunities. However, at many research-intensive universities, undergraduate students serve as a low-level assistants, such as dishwashers or simply providing technical support for doctoral or postdoctoral researchers. 在大学里 of 科学 at 菠菜网lol正规平台, we have a strong culture of engaging undergraduate students in meaningful 科研训练 experiences. Undergraduate research students typically learn to participate in every aspect of the research project, ranging from examining the literature, to experimental design, to conducting the laboratory activities, to analyzing the data, to co-writing the 出版物. The fact that 菠菜网lol正规平台 undergraduate research students are truly engaged intellectually in the science is corroborated by the fact that undergraduate students are frequent co-authors with faculty on research 出版物.

    Naturally, undergraduate students are not ready immediately to perform the various research functions independently, so they are trained by their faculty mentors and more senior members of the research groups. It is precisely this intellectual engagement that leads to many of the benefits of undergraduate 科研训练 to both faculty 会员及学生. In the CoS at 菠菜网lol正规平台, enthusiasm for this type of undergraduate student training is 一个 of the key attributes that we seek in our faculty and this priority among our faculty starkly distinguishes 菠菜网lol正规平台 faculty from many faculty members at research-intensive institutions where dedicating time for mentoring of individual undergraduates is not considered a high priority.

    Because of the many benefits, the 理学院 strongly encourages undergraduate 科研训练. Indeed financial support for undergraduate 科研训练 is provided at all levels of the university, including grants to support student stipends and research costs, assigned time for faculty mentoring student researchers, “just-in-time” funds for addressing unexpected research needs and opportunities, and recognition of student research accomplishments at the annual 理学院 Student 研究 Day where our students present posters describing their research projects each spring.