Science research

Colleges and Universities A-Z Earlham College
1

<p>It is great that Earlham emphasizes research. Anyone know how they manage to have every biology major do original research with such a small faculty? Are these genuine original lab research projects? Most faculty members do not list their active research programs in their online bios.</p>

2

<p>I wish somebody would answer your question too! I can see how the geology program does it, as there seems to be a steady number of five graduating in geology every year – but biology seems to attract more people! It would be nice to know what kind of research is being done.</p>

3

<p>My D is in the Arts division, so I’m not intimately familiar with the science departments. Hopefully one of the Earlham science parents will be along to answer in more depth, but here’s what I know.</p>

<p>Across all disciplines, Earlham places a great emphasis on collaborative student/faculty work. When a professor does research, his/her students are the research assistants and thus have hands-on involvement in the work. The faculty is small, but so is the student-teacher ratio, so students and professors get to know each other very well. Without knowing specifics, I think I can safely say the students are not left to dream up their original research project by themselves, or to figure out how to get it done. They would be guided by faculty every step of the way. </p>

<p>One example is Dr. Peter Blair, who has gotten two NIH grants for his work on the malaria genome, work which will ultimately help to develop a vaccine. His students are participating with him in cutting-edge real-world science, not only in the lab but also on his popular summer research study-abroad. It seems natural that this collaborative work would become the springboard for the students’ research projects, and that Dr. Blair would be the best possible resource for them in their own work. </p>

<p>Here’s an article on Dr. Blair and his views on the contributions that undergrads can make to the scientific community:</p>

<p><a href=“https://www.earlham.edu/feature/?type=Profile&title=Peter%20Blair&id=2698&r=4293[/url]”>https://www.earlham.edu/feature/?type=Profile&title=Peter%20Blair&id=2698&r=4293&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;