gromero

What are the kinds of research available to undergrads specifically in the sciences- field, lab, library? I'm thinking specifically geology and biology. Do students write research papers and present them at conferences?

arizonamom

I am not up on those fields as much but most students do research and present at conferences , do poster sessions etc. There are lots of opportunities. My son started sophomore year.and had 2 different opportunities to present over the years

brassmonkey

There are a lot of research opportunities, and come in the form of either co-authoring with a professor, or exploring your own venture.

In my experience the faculty has been welcome and encouraging of either type of research, and won't hesitate to sign on as an adviser if you need guidance to explore your own ideas in their field of expertise.

I can't dig up the statistic on the percentage of undergrads who do research during their time here, but I know that it is a significant proportion of the student body, and that students indeed do write and present research papers at conferences.

chopsticks3092

I know many students who have stayed or are planning to stay over the summer to do research with a professor. Pomona gives out quite a good number of grants for summer research and there are people who do it even without the money. The people who I know who have done it in the past say that it's one of the best experiences of their college career.

aznbluelilgrl

Depending on the field that you are interested in, the nature of the research can very different. I think for the humanity ones tend to be the library type, while the science ones are more hands-on and working in labs. I don't know too much about researches in the humanities, but for the sciences in general, you can do research both during the school year and over the summer. During the school year, you can do research for credit, and it can count up to one full class credit. I believe you can also do it for pay, but that you have to talk to the specific professor/department. As for summer research, you apply for grants. The most common one is Summer Undergraduate Research Program [SURP]. Then there are grants that are specific to departments or fields. Note that SURP and other grants apply to the humanity researches as well. So this year, Pomona is giving research grants over 120 students for summer research: Pomona College : News@Pomona. In fact, I am currently staying on campus for 10 weeks to do chemistry research in the lab. I am an upcoming-sophomore, and I started working last semester. I have friends who are in similar situation, so it is possible for freshmen to start doing research, especially in the science fields. Someone else can offer more information for the humanity researches. I hope this helps.

brassmonkey

A lot of the humanities summer research is some really out of the box stuff. In addition to the "library grants," I know of a history major who got funding to spend the summer in a rural town and compile an oral history of the village based on local folklore, and interactions with members of the community who had been there for generations.

Another student I know used his study abroad experience to do research in Nepal, looking at the emerging and evolving film industry in the Kathmandu Valley. He gained fluency in the language, forayed this experience into a Fulbright, and is back there now (after graduation) assessing the impact of the growth of the film industry on traditional Nepali culture, values and morals.