Undergraduate Research

Biochemistry majors have the opportunity to participate in research by enrolling in BCM 460, Research in Biochemistry for 1-3 credits. In this course the student joins an active research group and, with the assistance of a mentor and the members of the group, carries out scientific research on a specific project.

Students can learn about the research interests of prospective mentors (professors) for BCM 460 by reading material on Web Sites describing the research carried out by a particular group or by reading recent publications of the group that are abstracted under the name of the lab director/mentor by PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) or Scifinder Scholar (Science and Technology Library). Since the latter search engines abstract all of the published scientific publications of the mentor/group, the number of recent abstracts found at these web sites is a good indication of the general level of activity of the group. Sometimes labs/research groups will have no room for new undergraduate students in a given semester. Therefore, it is a good idea to choose two or three prospective mentors and speak to them about research. Some labs may have a sign-up sheet which allows you to reserve a lab position in advance of the start-date. As with any successful "job search" it is a good idea to read one or more of the scientific publications of the group before the interview with the professor/lab director. This is the best way to act knowledgeable on the type of research being done by the group and to better explain why you are interested in working in that particular research group. Laboratory research often produces a low return on time spent, especially at the beginning. Therefore, the willingness to work evening/weekend hours and more than one semester is often a deciding factor in a mentor accepting a student into the group.

Typically, if research is done during the fall or spring term, a student may register for 3 credits of BCM 460, requiring an average of at least 9 hours of laboratory work per week. Students who register for BCM 460 during the summer are expected to be "full time" in the laboratory.

Registration. Students can register for BCM 460 by completing the form, "Proposal for BCM 460. Research in Biochemistry". The form, which requires information from the student and the mentor and various signatures, can be submitted to either the Biology or Chemistry Offices for processing. It is possible for students to repeat BCM 460 for credit for more than a single semester either within the same research group or within another group. Since there are often collaborations between research directors, students could work on projects that may involve lab directors at SUNY Upstate Medical University but either Professor Chan (Biology) or Professor Dabrowiak (Chemistry) must be contacted early if this is the case.

Grading. The letter grade for undergraduate research, which is given by the mentor, is typically based on three factors, the quality and quantity of research, the laboratory notebook, and oral presentations at research meetings.

Application of BCM 460 Credit Toward the B.S. Degree in Biochemistry. While 3 credits of BCM 460 can be counted as an elective course toward the B.S. Degree in Biochemistry, only under special circumstances and with permission from the primary advisors can it be used to satisfy one of the two formal laboratory requirements (total of 6 credits) for the degree. Since both Biology and Chemistry have undergraduate research courses equivalent to BCM 460 (BIO 460, Biology; CHE 450, Chemistry) credit for these courses, with the restriction stated above, may be applied to the B.S. Degree in Biochemistry on a petition basis.

The following is a sampling of faculty members who have research interests in Biochemistry, and related areas and who may serve as undergraduate research mentors. The list is meant as a guide, researchers not on the list may also serve as mentors.