K-State begins new undergraduate research program

K-State students looking for meaningful part-time employment need look no further than the new undergraduate research program being developed by the K-State Ecological Genomics Institute.

Samantha Wisely and Ari Jumpponen, both associate professors of biology, organized the new program after winning a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The professors knew immediately that the award would be an opportunity to lure quality undergraduate students into research labs.

"We're always interested in recruiting good undergraduate students into ecology and evolution programs," Wisely said. "We think that by showing students what an energetic and exciting field this is that they might consider a career in research."

Ecological genomics, a field of study made up of researchers specializing in biology, plant pathology, and entomology, applies techniques of biomedicine to questions in ecology and evolution in an attempt to better understand the relationships between organisms and their natural environment.

The field remains mostly undiscovered by students, said Wisely, a trend she hopes to overturn with the grant money. Students who are accepted to the program will receive a $15,000 stipend, a prize that has already attracted student applications.

"We have six open slots for the first year and we have already received an equal amount of applications, and we haven't even started marketing this," Jumpponen said. "We have a lot of students interested in this, and it doesn't hurt that we are offering $15,000 for the position."

Beyond the money, students will gain a year of research experience in a university lab. Jumpponen said he hopes the experience will lay the foundation for future breakthroughs and advances in the field.

"What is the primary function of universities? Training the next generation of sharp, free thinkers that will influence our future," Jumpponen said. "We set up this program to make students as good as they can be and to prepare them for the next step."

Wisely agreed, and added that the experience would also allow students to take part in a function of universities that is not often witnessed by undergraduates.

"Certainly for anyone going to graduate school it's important to do research," Wisely said. "I think it gives you a sense of what the other purpose of a university is. A lot of people think it is a place just for education, but it's also a place where vibrant research takes place."

Faculty members in the institute will also reap the benefits of having students in the research labs.

"There are 13 faculty members that are involved in this program and each one will have an opportunity to have an undergraduate researcher for free," Wisely said. "Anytime you have anybody doing active research in your lab it improves the greater good of the lab."

The effects of the program will also be felt outside of the institute. Research programs, especially those involving students, line up with the goals of K-State 2025; President Kirk Schulz's plan to make K-State a top 50 research university by the year 2025.

"It can serve as a recruitment tool to the students. The more we engage students in the research enterprise, the faster we can move towards the goals of 2025," said Ron Trewyn, vice president for research. "This is really what separates a research university from other universities. You are actually involved in discovering new knowledge and not just learning what other people have discovered."

No matter the effects on K-State's research endeavors, Wisely is confident the program will produce tangible results.

"In the end, we will have trained an amazing group of undergraduates that will have an understanding of what research is," Wisely said. "They will get a better foothold on taking the next step after completing their undergraduate degrees, and labs will be provided with an infusion of money and enthusiastic researchers."