As most students get settled in their new classes, other
students’ routines include researching rat muscles and brain
morphologies of schizophrenic patients.
Already attending a university nationally recognized for
advances in research, UCLA students are at an advantage by being
able to participate, first hand, in these breakthrough
projects.
Through UCLA’s Student Research Program, undergraduate
students are introduced to a multitude of research opportunities in
both the sciences and humanities.
Though the program requires students to complete a maximum of 60
hours of research per quarter, the benefits of participating in
research that is influential throughout the world outweighs the
lengthy time commitment, said SRP participants.
For Marissa Shih, a second-year pre-cognitive science student,
studying cognitive science in the classroom constitutes only part
of her undergraduate education. Spending hours in between classes
at the Cannon Lab in Franz Hall editing MRI brain scans of
schizophrenic patients on the computer, Shih praises the program
for bridging the gap between what is learned in lecture and
real-life situations.
“It’s cool to know the work we are doing is for
something useful. We can’t screw up; we have to do a good job
because this actually matters,” Shih said.
Working with graduate students, professors and post-doctoral
students, these brain images will later be used to assess
morphologies in schizophrenic patients and compared to a control
group.
Though already volunteering at the UCLA hospital, the Special
Olympics and tackling a full schedule of classes, Shih said she
hopes to continue doing research until she graduates.
“It’s fulfilling, fun and interesting,” Shih
said, adding that research can now be a possibility as a future
career for her.
Founded in 1985 as a student movement, SRP now has about 400-500
student researchers each quarter.
In addition to providing students with ample research
opportunities, SRP, a contract-based program with faculty
conducting research, grants students up to two units of
departmental credit.
Before its creation, undergraduate research was very informal as
students would simply volunteer to help professors without any
formal notation.
“It’s a way of saying to students that you can get
credit for research,” said Audrey Cramer, director of the
Life and Physical Sciences Undergraduate Research Center and Center
for Academic Research and Excellence, adding that these units do
not count toward the maximum unit total.
Other students, such as second-year undeclared student Evelyn
Ju, have the opportunity to research cross section muscle fibers of
rats along with observing rat spinal removal surgery.
Sending electric pulses to certain paralyzed muscles in a rat to
see if the electric shocks provide the workout necessary to revive
the muscles or prevent them from shrinking is something that can
potentially be utilized on paralyzed humans. Ju researches the
muscle fibers before and after an electric pulse has been sent.
“It’s very different from the classroom
environment,” Ju said. “It will eventually be helping
humans. You are doing something that’s going
somewhere.”
Despite having a hectic schedule, Ju said the program is more
fun than stressful and is flexible during finals and midterms.
Not only does SRP provide students with research experience and
an inside look on how UCLA works, it prepares students for graduate
and professional schools, along with strengthening their
undergraduate education.
“It’s a stepping stone for students to higher
independent projects like doing a senior thesis,” Cramer
said.
Though the program has existed for years now, it is fairly
unknown to most students, especially those in the humanities.
Often students are quick to associate research opportunities
solely with science-related fields.
But from text editing to gathering data to participating in
anthropology field work, research opportunities in the humanities
and liberal arts are equally available.
SRP also broadens students options for career choices after
undergraduate education in their field of research.
“Some students go in as pre-med, pre-law and come to the
research program and change their mind,” Cramer said.
With a workshop at the beginning of every quarter, students are
becoming more familiar with the program.
“We advertise it widely and do a lot of outreach
work,” said Reed Wilson, director of the Humanities and
Social Sciences Undergraduate Research Center. “Undergraduate
education should include research.”
Specifically designed for entry-level undergraduate students, no
experience is necessary to participate in SRP.
Directors of the program hope that SRP will help eliminate
students who are voluntarily doing research and not getting credit
for their time and effort.
SRP is not limited to faculty’s research; students are
encouraged to initiate their own research projects with a
collaborating faculty member.
SRP may open the doors to research opportunities at UCLA, but it
is not the only means by which students can contribute to research;
every department has its own research courses that can grant
students up to four units of credit in exchange for research and a
thesis paper.