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Undergraduate Research in Science (URSC)

Valeria Monterroz in a science lab doing research.

Explore the Fundamentals of Scientific Research

In the Undergraduate Research in Science (URSC) program, students will become prepared to engage in meaningful, mentor-directed academic research by being introduced to the fundamental principles and practices of the research process. Students will learn to locate and evaluate primary scientific literature, understand the context and objectives of a research project, develop research strategies and project designs, and write research proposals.

Working in teams under the guidance of a faculty research mentor, students will apply appropriate techniques for data collection and analysis, maintain a laboratory notebook, and follow ethical research practices. Students will evaluate their research findings and communicate their work through a formal research report, including an abstract, objectives, project design, methodology, results, discussion, and literature cited, as well as through both poster and oral presentations.

Other undergraduate research opportunities

The URSC Course Sequence

URSC 101 (Fall only): Many, but not all, students complete this course before joining a research project. In this course, students learn the basics of the scientific method, data analysis, reading scientific papers, and research ethics.

URSC 201 (Spring only, various mentors): Students work in teams with their research mentor(s) on a specific research project. This course focuses on reading relevant background literature to understand the context of the project and learning the basics of any new equipment or technical skills necessary for the project. Students meet weekly in their research teams and meet monthly with all URSC 201 students and mentors to discuss common topics such as ethics, keeping a research notebook, and evaluating scientific literature.

URSC 202 (Fall only, various mentors): Students continue working in teams with their research mentor(s) on their specific research project. This semester focuses on data collection and analysis culminating in a group poster presentation and a rough draft of a paper for HCC’s Journal of Research in Progress. Students meet weekly in their research teams and meet monthly with all URSC 202 students and mentors to discuss different aspects of designing and presenting research posters.

URSC 203 (Spring only): Students meet weekly with the course instructor, but not their research mentor. This semester focuses on presenting their research to the broader community. Students are expected to submit a research paper to HCC’s Journal of Research in Progress and to give a presentation at a local academic conference. Students meet with their research mentors on an as-needed basis as they prepare their paper and presentation.
Research Projects
Some of the projects that students have worked on include:
- Exoplanet Photometry: using the brightness of stars to study distant worlds.
- The analysis of metals in surface water by Atomic Absorption.
- The development of a wearable carbon dioxide sensor to measure indoor air quality.
- Building upon 3D printing know-how, including testing of temperature, orientation, polymer, deposition timing, and post-print UV exposure effects.
- Measurement of environmental influence on water quality in two Howard County, Patapsco watersheds.
- Monitoring bacterial community dynamics in campus surface waters.
- Measuring the dynamics of a variable length in a double pendulum.
- Understanding induced preferences in the oligophagous tobacco hornworm.
Apply for the Program

Interested students should contact the coordinator of Undergraduate Research via email at URSC@HowardCC.edu or visit their office in TCH 314.

For more information or questions, please contact us at URSC@HowardCC.edu.