From SURE research to certain results

Carthage undergraduate research program
leads to real world success

August 23, 2011

For the past 10 weeks, more than two dozen Carthage students have immersed themselves in ongoing research with faculty. They've waded through rivers, analyzed the brain tissues of rats, and continued development of new zero-gravity fuel gauge technology. They've monitored invasive species in Wisconsin waterways, produced groundbreaking new version control software, and examined the spectra of stars for clues to one of the great mysteries in observational physics.

The projects were all part of the 2011 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, or SURE — a hallmark of the Carthage curriculum. Since the mid-1990s, SURE has allowed undergraduate students the opportunity to collaborate with faculty mentors on significant research projects.

On Sept. 13, SURE participants presented their work to the Carthage community at the program's annual poster session in Hedberg Library.

Here's what visitors learned: How Brianna Faint, '14, fared in her mission to determine how sensitively a spectrograph can detect and measure broad features like diffuse interstellar bands in space. How Brendon Jones, '12, used GIS to analyze the economic impact of brownfield redevelopment projects. How Audrey Henning, '12, cloned cellulase enzymes to create simple sugars that can produce ethanol, and maybe someday decrease human dependence on fossil fuels.

A more fundamental lesson: Big questions in the sciences often defy simple or quick answers.

"Science cannot be done in a summer," said Kevin Crosby, chair of the Division of Natural Sciences at Carthage and a professor of physics and computer science. "This ten-week period is not sufficient to begin and end." Instead, SURE looks for students who can contribute to ongoing research efforts. "We encourage projects that represent pieces of a long-term agenda that has a particular goal," Prof. Crosby said. "You could create a less authentic experience by creating mini projects for individual students, but those projects usually don't have the lasting significance or potential for publication that ongoing work will. ... This research is real, substantive, and often leads to publishable results."

About SURE: 'Measurable impacts'

The SURE program has grown steadily in the past decade. Every winter, more and more students compete for a chance to participate in the program. Between 20 and 25 students are selected. They then spend the summer on campus, working in the lab full time under the guidance of a professor. Students receive a stipend, room and board, and a research budget for their work.

It's an opportunity for faculty to take their lessons beyond the safety net of a classroom.

"In a classroom setting, we usually emphasize the problems with straightforward, clear answers whose correctness can be assessed readily," said physics professor Julie Dahlstrom. "My job is to introduce my students to the ambiguities, frustrations and exhilaration of scientific research. Research is not so clear cut, and its lack of clarity can be a shock."

Prof. Dahlstrom worked with two SURE students this summer: Brianna Faint, '14, a chemistry major from Kenosha; and Zachary Troyer, '14, a physics and mathematics major from Joliet, Ill. Both students contributed to Prof. Dahlstrom's ongoing research studying diffuse interstellar bands. (Read more about this project.)

"SURE provides initial exposure to extremely valuable research experience, which helps to bridge our students to research offerings at other institutions or in industry," Prof. Dahlstrom said.

Agreed Prof. Crosby: "I regularly hear back from alumni who highlight their SURE experiences as being important to their admission to graduate school and medical school, or critical to their success in their jobs. ... We know that participation in SURE or semester research has measurable impacts on important student development metrics such as individual growth, persistence in the face of obstacles, and career orientation."

Opening students' eyes to new options

Isa Fritz, '10, participated in the SURE program in 2008, studying optical trapping with physics professor Brian Schwartz.

"Because the Carthage SURE program is designed to mimic professional research labs, I gained valuable experience with designing and building my own research experiment," she said. "Unlike in the classroom, where problems and methods are now laid out in front of you, SURE students quickly learn how to create a research question, get background information, design the experiment, fix their inevitable mistakes, and conduct the test."

Isa is now working toward a master's degree in aerospace engineering at Purdue University. "My specific area is astronautical engineering with a focus on astrodynamics," she said. "I hope to do mission design or spacecraft attitude dynamics for SpaceX or NASA."

Erin Zimmerman, '11, participated in the SURE program in 2009, studying enantiomers of beta blockers with chemistry professor Kevin Morris. Enantiomers are molecules that are mirror images of each other; they look identical but, in pharmaceuticals, can have very different and sometimes dangerous effects.

"That summer made me realize that I actually liked doing research," said Erin, who graduated in May with majors in chemistry and theatre, and a minor in biology. Now she is headed for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she will pursue a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry. "The SURE program was my first research experience. It helped me land other research internships the next two summers, and ultimately helped me get accepted into graduate school. ... I would not have even considered research as a career path had I not participated in the SURE program."

Program expanding across disciplines

This summer, 21 SURE participants worked on research projects in biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, geography, mathematics, neuroscience, physics and psychology. In recent years, SURE has expanded into the social sciences: business administration, marketing, business, political science, economics and psychology. This summer, Aleksandra Romanovic, '13, worked on an economic feasibility study and marketing plan for Kenosha County golf courses with Prof. Joseph Wall. Two students conducted research in English and philosophy. Next summer, Provost Julio Rivera plans to expand the program further and fund students from the Humanities, Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Education divisions.

"Usually undergraduate research is limited to the natural sciences," Provost Rivera said. "One of the things the faculty have done effectively at Carthage is to make undergraduate scholarship work in these other disciplines. Part of the College's success in this area comes from requiring all students, regardless of major, to produce a senior thesis, he said. "We've been able to put students in research mode across disciplines for years."

"Students need to do more than just what their professors tell them to do," Provost Rivera continued. "They need to initiate projects, work through the real messiness of research, and try to resolve that messiness in some kind of coherent way. No project is easy. No project is simple. But it's in dealing with the things that don't work — whether it's in a science lab or in an archive of documents — that students learn to grapple with problems the way they will be expected to when they leave here and go into graduate school or the professional world."

Stories about SURE

From SURE research to certain results
Carthage undergraduate research program leads to real world success

A New Direction
SURE research set Carthage alumna Erin Zimmerman on a new career path.

A Summer Puzzle
Students aim summer efforts at Professor Julie Dahlstrom's ongoing research into the mystery of diffuse interstellar bands.

The Environmental Fate of Fragrance Chemicals
Students begin new study with environmental science professor Sarah Rubinfeld.

Documenting Bat Colonies in Wisconsin
Four Carthage students spent the summer studying bats with Prof. Deanna Byrnes, assistant professor of biology.

'A long and complicated process' with real-life implications
Students study effects of endocrine-disrupting compounds on frogs.