<p>I am wondering about undergraduate research in the sciences, particularly biology, at Tufts. It looks (from the website) that there is a strong focus on research at Tufts. However, I am worried about 2 things. </p>
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<li><p>Is undergraduate research compromised at all since a lot of the graduate science work is done in downtown Boston instead of on the Medford campus? Do undergraduates have to commute for good research opportunities? Are the Medford positions limited? Do any graduate students conduct research on the Medford campus? </p></li>
<li><p>Is there a lot of research going on for undergraduates that is not part of a research class for credit? Do many students simply work or volunteer in labs without having the set minimum number of hours/week or the assignment of writing a paper? </p></li>
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<p>Thanks to anyone with information!!!</p>
<p>Ah thanks for the questions, unfortunately there have been no answers. These are important considerations for my S as well.</p>
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<li><p>Not at all. there’s a LOT of research going on on the Medford campus. Just about all the hard science majors (bio, physics, chem, etc.) I know do research at the science and technology center, which is just off the Medford campus, and from what I can tell, an undergraduate research position isn’t too difficult to come by. Most professors have labs on the Medford campus, and there’s quite a bit of lab space. Just off the top of my head, I can think of six buildings of which a significant portion is devoted to labs: Barnum, Pearson, Bray, Bacon, SciTech, and the Psych building. But you should definitely research the professors in the departments you’re interested in, and see if they’re doing research that interests you. If they are, it’s very likely they do research on the Medford campus.</p></li>
<li><p>This varies a lot by department. In the psych department, where I work, I know of some students who work on only a volunteer basis, but the majority work for course credit. Typically, working for credit doesn’t involve writing a paper, but it does often involve a minimum number of hours you have to be in the lab per week. I think in other departments, volunteering without course credit might be more common, but if you want to get serious about conducting research (e.g. doing an independent project, writing a senior thesis, etc.) you’ll have to work for course credit. That’s not something that should discourage you, though. Most people are involved in research because they enjoy it, it’s a great way to network and to bolster your r</p></li>
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<p>Duke/Crazy - Here is some more info on research - hope it helps.</p>
<p>Tufts is very big on research and very big on undergrad education. The result is a lot of undergrad research. I have attached a good background article. Note that it is estimated that 80% of undergrads perform some sort of research.</p>
<p>[Researching</a> High and Low: Undergraduate Research Opportunities, Their Limitations, and Why You Should Participate Anyway | Tufts Observer](<a href=“http://tuftsobserver.org/2011/04/researching-high-and-low-undergraduate-research-opportunities-their-limitations-and-why-you-should-participate-anyway/]Researching”>http://tuftsobserver.org/2011/04/researching-high-and-low-undergraduate-research-opportunities-their-limitations-and-why-you-should-participate-anyway/)</p>