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Every faculty research project in the Department represents an opportunity for undergraduates to become involved, as early as their freshman year, in serious scientific work with a leading expert in the field. Each year, the Department circulates a description of faculty projects and the roles that undergraduates might play in the research. Some projects have funding to hire student assistants during the summer and the academic year. Up to twelve full-time Summer Science Research Scholarships, administered by the University Honors Program, plus an equal number of HHMI research grants are awarded to rising junior chemistry and biochemistry majors each year. A third undergraduate research fellowship program, the Alumni Undergraduate Research Fellows, funded by David Plastino (UD BS/CHEM/78) has supported 6 Fellows each summer, beginning in 2007. Nearby chemical and pharmaceutical companies, such as DuPont, Ashland, and AstraZeneca, also hire students for part-time and summer employment. The Department also hosts frequent seminars and colloquia, open to undergraduates, where scholars from Delaware and other universities present their recent work.
"Although I am no longer actively engaged in chemical research, it is an experience that I strongly recommend to all of our majors. At worst, it may show you that it is not a pursuit that you should follow throughout your career. At best, it can be a life-changing experience, becoming an all-encompassing goal. The entire range of responses is reflected in the careers of the 41 undergraduates whose research I have directed at the U of D, about half of whom saw their work reach fruition in the form of formal presentations and/or publications."
John L. Burmeister, jlburm@udel.edu
The University of Delaware has been recognized by the NSF for its leadership undergraduate research. The University of Delaware is one of only 10 institutions nationwide, selected from a pool of over 100 universities, to receive a three-year award recognizing "bold leadership," producing "meaningful results" in the integration of research and education.
Many Chemistry and Biochemistry majors at the University of Delaware choose to expand their education by doing research. Most faculty in the department accept undergraduates in their laboratories. Many of our students have published papers or presented talks at scientific meetings on the results of their work. Up to eight full-time research scholarships are available for our majors during the summer preceding their junior year.
For information about the fields of research available, check the research page for the department.
