On Aug. 26, a week into the fall semester, Montana State University students stopped by the Strand Union Building ballrooms to visit the third annual Undergraduate Research Fair, where MSU faculty and students showcased their research in hopes of recruiting fresh faces to join them.
“The fair is strategically timed to be early in the semester so that students can look for semester or yearlong jobs, internships and work-study opportunities,” said Director of Undergraduate Research Anna Tuttle. “It also occurs before the submission deadline for students who might look for funding from the Undergraduate Scholars Program. We hope to inspire students by showing them all the exciting research happening on campus.”
Undergraduate research can be a pivotal experience for students, Tuttle said, and more than 1,200 undergrads engage in paid research opportunities each year at MSU. The experiences can help students hone their career plans, build experience for graduate school and complement their class material, among other benefits, she said.
The fair showcased around 22 different research opportunities from an array of disciplines, said Undergraduate Research Council Ambassador Alyssa Harmel, who is a senior studying environmental science. She added that research opportunities extend beyond the hard sciences, and in addition to academic departments, other MSU entities like the Renne Library and the Musuem of the Rockies were also represented at the fair. Around 300 students came to the event, Harmel said.
Students currently involved in research shared the benefits of their experiences. Junior Jake Shelly described his ongoing research with David McWethy, associate professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, analyzing lake sediments in Yellowstone National Park to reconstruct the region’s fire history. He also traveled to Alaska this summer to research the impacts of permafrost thaw. Working with McWethy has given him a taste of fieldwork and even changed what he had planned to study, Shelly said. Originally set on becoming a paleontologist, his research has opened his eyes to a new discipline of paleoecology.
Senior geology major Liam Grant also said his research shaped his vision for his future career and is helping prepare him for graduate school. With associate professor of earth sciences Madison Myers, he used remote sensing and drone technology to identify the components of rocks for mining applications in a Nevada caldera. He is interested in pursuing a master’s degree in planetary geology, a field that explores the viability of mining other planets for key minerals such as iron and lithium. Studying volcanic surfaces on Earth sets the stage for studying other planets with similar geologic environments, he said.
Other opportunities appealed to arts-oriented students. For example, assistant professor of music Ben Fuhrman highlighted opportunities for students in the School of Music. Manning a table with several synthesizers that produce electronic music and sound effects, students Lars Knudson and Jake Cherry said their research exposed them to technological aspects of music recording, sound design, processing and post-production.
Knudson, a double major in music technology and computer science who hopes to design scores for video games, said he has gained ample practice creating sound effects. Engaging in research allows him access to high-end synthesizers and familiarizes him with the technology, putting him at an advantage when seeking a job. MSU has also connected him with hands-on opportunities in the industry, such as being a stagehand for Music in the Mountains performances in Big Sky and working on audio production for the popular Montana PBS show “11th and Grant.”
Many research opportunities allow Bobcats to have a direct impact on their local communities. One example is a summer internship run by engineering associate professor Bernadette McCrory. Alongside students, she works with small, rural hospitals in Montana to improve their processes, such as helping build a new electronic form or scheduling system or streamlining their supply chain.
The event also showcased programs that help fund undergraduate researchers and connect them with faculty. For example, the McNair Scholars Program provides students from underrepresented backgrounds who want to go to graduate school with paid summer research opportunities, including a housing stipend. Now in its 17th year, the program supports 25 scholars annually and starts recruitment in October.
Faculty report that undergraduate researchers bring significant vitality, curiosity and fresh perspectives, said McNair Scholars Program Director Josh Meyer. Compared to graduate students, they have wider interests and haven’t specialized yet, which aids in their learning of new ideas or methods, he said. He added that some faculty seek out undergrads to foster a pipeline to their graduate research.
MSU faculty also commended the interest of students at the fair.
“The undergraduate research fair was a great experience for us this year,” said Coltran Hophan-Nichols, director of Systems and Research Computing at MSU. “We saw stronger interest and more good questions from students than ever before and were impressed by how engaged they were.”
Jason Clark, who runs Research Optimization, Analytics and Data Services for the MSU Renne Library added that he “talked with students and peers from multiple disciplines. It was a great opportunity to connect and share interdisciplinary jobs and ideas. We need more events like this to keep our communities connected.”
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