Please contribute to our Science Research Initiative

Many undergraduates major in science in the hope of doing research someday. Others are curious about doing research but unsure about how it aligns with their talents and interests. Now, the College of Science is offering an innovative program called the Science Research Initiative (SRI) that puts students in a lab as soon as they arrive on campus.

“The most consequential learning happens by doing, and that is especially true in the College of Science,” said Peter Trapa, Dean of the college. “Experiences in a laboratory-centered, team-based, interdisciplinary environment give students the skills to succeed and access opportunities in high-paying industries,” he said. “The SRI offers incoming students, with no prior exposure to research, the opportunity to learn alongside their peers to gain hands-on, technical expertise, and learn directly from researchers as early as their first year at the U. The college’s exceptional faculty, world-class research facilities, and commitment to in-person experiential learning make this unique program possible.”

Any student admitted to the College of Science can apply. During the first semester, the cohort of SRI undergraduates takes a course that prepares them to work in a research lab. The course teaches basic research techniques, the principles of scientific inquiry, and breaks down the structure of lab, such as the roles of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and the principal investigator.

After learning about the research projects, known as “research streams,” the students rank the labs they’d most like to experience. The program matches them to an SRI faculty scientist leading the project where they will work during the second semester. Then, SRI mentors help each student figure out a path forward, whether it be continuing with the research stream, switching projects, or even leaving lab-based research altogether.

Eliza Diggins joined the program as a freshman to get research experience and find a thesis topic. She is now a sophomore with a double major: applied mathematics and physics.

“I got involved in the SRI during my first semester so that I could get some research experience, and it’s been great,” she said. “Not only was I provided with a research opportunity, but I also had the chance to help design the research. Unlike many undergraduate research experiences, where the student is often only a source of labor, my SRI research stream was driven by the students. We chose our project and got to choose how best to pursue it. This sort of academic freedom allowed us to push ourselves to learn and explore subjects and ideas that wouldn’t normally be explored in our majors.”

Ethan Lame is a junior majoring in physics, with an emphasis in astronomy and astrophysics.

“I was honestly very nervous to participate in research,” he said. “I had never really done anything like it before. I was concerned about the time commitment, and I hardly knew where to start. I just reached out to a professor who was working in an interesting field related to my major, and we had a meeting where we were able to figure out a way for me to work over the summer on a project (with his guidance), so I had plenty of free time to do so.

“Since then, it’s been a very exciting, and admittedly humbling, experience. I’ve learned more than I ever would have expected, and I’ve made some connections with people who are a few years ahead of me in their academic careers. They’re a great resource to talk to if I have questions about my future.”

The SRI program relies significantly on donations for its budget. “As we close 2021, we’re inviting alumni and friends of the department to make it possible for students to participate in valuable, exciting, and rewarding research,” said Davar Khoshnevisan, Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics. “The SRI enriches the learning experience and helps attract talented students to the department.”

To make a donation to the SRI program, visit giving.utah.edu/math

• 100 new students enrolled for fall 2021—a total of 150 students . Students are all College of Science majors or undeclared, with an interest in science

• 30% of students are from out of state

• 18-20 faculty stream leaders will be leading research beginning in the spring semester