For info on undergraduate research (including lab protocols and ethics), click here. Here is a book that is free on the web; it describes the life of a scientist: On Being a Scientist.  Some undergraduate students travel across the country to work in a lab for the summer:  Take a look at a listing: Summer Opportunities for Research.  Also, see the NSF list of sites for undergraduate research:  REU sites. (photo of students and Dr. Stith at a lab meeting)

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH:

As undergraduate teaching and undergraduate research are emphasized at the Denver branch of the University of Colorado, funding through the NSF Research in Undergraduate Institutions will continue an established program.  In addition to facilitating my research program, funding will continue to enhance teaching by providing supplies and equipment that are also used in lab teaching or in lecture demonstrations.  Another outcome of past NSF funding, is that, over the past 13 years, about $300,000 of NSF grant money has gone directly to students in the form of hourly stipend. 

As we are an "urban" university (characteristics of an urban university: no dorms; up to 75% of students have outside jobs; we have three times the national average for inner city, minority students), these stipends allowed students to quit their jobs in food service and fulfill a desire to work in my research lab.  As is typical of urban universities, our undergraduate students are more diverse and tend to be older.  With about 21% minority, our number of Hispanic, black and Native American student is about 4-5 times the national average.  Of the students who have worked in the lab, my youngest student was about 19 and the oldest about 60 years old.

            As noted in the NSF report "Undergraduate Origins of Recent Science and Engineering Doctorate Recipients" (NSF 96-334), in the report "Maintaining America's Scientific Productivity (1987; Oberlin, OH) and in "Persistence in Higher Science and Engineering Education" (Betty Maxfield, Library of Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, 1988), liberal arts colleges produce up to 4 times the percentage of bachelor's degree recipients who go on to earn a Science and Engineering doctorate than research-intensive universities.

As is typical, I have a heavy teaching load with 180 fifty minute lectures a year, and I teach up to 450 students per year.  In addition to teaching General Biology, General Cell Biology and Cell Signaling, recently I developed Developmental Biology and Advanced Cell Biology.  While developing these new lecture courses, I learned and incorporated online testing, chat rooms, and bulletin boards.  The development required learning WebCT and Blackboard software for the web.  I also enhanced the lecture courses by learning Macromedia's FLASH and DIRECTOR to develop animations and time-lapse video which I then posted to my web pages.  This has resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in a teaching with technology journal and two invited presentations on teaching with web sites, video and animation (see my home page for these PowerPoint presentations, animations and video; www.cudenver.edu/~bstith). I have another paper on the use of animation in teaching under review.

My interest in coming to the University of Colorado-Denver was that I could combine research and teaching (that is, divide my time rather equally between teaching and research).  One outcome of this interest and in an outreach to the community is that I have the pleasure of working with 1-3  High School teachers each summer (1999-2002).  In addition, a group of 7 teachers from Cole Middle School (predominately Hispanic student boyd) came to my lab to learn more about fertilization, make some video microscopy of gravitational rotation, surface (Ca) wave and cleavage to take back to their classes.  We discussed development of investigative instructional programs relating to the use of fertilization in high school biology classes.

As noted in the reports noted above, undergraduate students showed increased interest in science careers if they experienced "hands-on" laboratory experience through undergraduate research.  I have encouraged undergraduate students to visit my lab, to involve themselves in research, and to pursue a career in research (not necessarily by obtaining a Ph.D.; many enter the biotech industry).  Undergraduate research experience in a small lab can develop critical thinking skills, speaking and writing skills, ability to set priorities and overcome problems (see letters from students at the end of this RUI impact statement).

            I believe that a strong reward system is important for undergraduate researchers.  Thus, I attempt to pay students, to send students to local (e.g., University of Colorado at Boulder Spring Symposium on the Cell Cycle, 1991, where 6 students presented 3 posters) or national meetings (3 students to 1990 American Society for Cell Biology or ASCB meetings, one student to 1991 ASCB meetings, 6 students to the 1992 Denver ASCB meetings, and 1-3 students to the 1993-2002 ASCB meetings), and 4 students to the 2003 ASCB meetings in San Francisco. 

Another reward is authorship: Over the past 15 years, I have had 26 student authors on full papers and many more on abstracts or thanked in the acknowledgement section. 

Verbal encouragement and interest in the student as a person (e.g., interest in their activities outside the lab) requires time that faculty members at larger institutions are not often able to give.  At larger institutions the student is sometimes relegated to washing dishware and is not involved in the research plan.  For example, two of my more successful students were discouraged after working in larger labs and were thinking of leaving science.  Yet they reversed this opinion after spending time in my smaller lab and they now have jobs in research at the health science center and in industry.

            Listed below are students who have worked in my lab, shown an interest in a research career, and committed themselves to a extended period of lab research (often in spite of required part-time jobs outside of the university).  The enthusiasm and commitment of these undergraduates students is evidenced by the fact that students initially worked in the lab without pay or semester hours credit.  By the time that the student leaves my laboratory (one year in the lab is an average with a range of one semester to 2.5 years), the student is able to make up solutions such as buffers, pipette accurately and is familiar with basic biochemical and electrophysiological techniques (how to run electrophoresis, an ultracentrifuge, enzyme assays, basic membrane potential recording).  With weekly or monthly meetings (depending on the amount of work being accomplished) which update everyone as to their progress laboratory meetings, the students also learn about other related areas of research and how to verbally and visually communicate their scientific ideas and data. 

            As our university has approximately four times the national average of minority students, it is not surprising that Hispanic students (Yvonne Tienda, Sally Silva, Earl Maes, Ron Espinoza, Pat Medina, and recently: Pablo Joucovsky, Liliana Cabrera, Carolyn Anello, David Carujo) and an African-American female student (Wendy Dickerson) have worked in my lab.  Sally, Pat, Wendy are authors on papers, Yvonne is on an abstract, and Ron is an author on 3 published papers. 

Students who have worked in my lab since spring of 1988: Sara Hendricks (NSF grant partially paid for travel to national Cell Biology meeting to present abstract as an author, now in graduate program in Environmental Sciences), John Koeppe (worked without credit for 1 year in lab, Physcian), Allan Kirkwood (2 papers, Dentist; NSF grant paid for travel to 1990 Cell Biology meetings where he presented a poster, worked in lab 2 years), Erica Wohnlich (Physician, attended 1990 Cell Biology meetings to present poster, author on one paper), Yvonne Tienda (had to transfer to another graduate program because of family move; awarded minority travel funds based on abstract presented at 1990 Cell Biology meetings), Emilei Kim (Physician, Univ. of Hawaii Medical School), Wendy Dickerson (African-American, just graduated University of Maryland Medical School), Jill McLemore (abstract author), Constance Fleider, Jodie Herk, Wayne McAlpine, Farzan S. Rajput (last 3, Physicians), Sally Silva (author on 2 papers, just completed UCHSC graduate program), Ron Espinoza (began spring, 1992, at present, author on 3 papers; just graduated in fall, 1996; has applied to both Medical School and graduate school), Chris Jaynes (author on 2 papers, presently performing research with Colorado Organ Recovery Systems), Marc Goalstone (Master's in 1992, author on 5 papers, currently on a Post-Doc in endocrinology, UCHSC), Walter Rush (currently in medical school), Young-Sun Yun (1992-1993), Josh Saliman (in medical school), Jon Doris (1993, attending SUNY Rochester medical school), Mosdeh Saffari-Parizi (acknowledgement in 1994 paper), Amy Herhahn (Physician's Assistant, acknowledgment in manuscript), Susan Valuck (summer of 1992), Dawn Roberts (M.S.;author on 2 papers, currently a research technician, UCHSC), and Anthony Ferdensi (author on 1 paper; began lab work in 1993, B.S. degree in 1996, currently working in lipid research at UCHSC).   In the mid 1990's, Cori Mossel (MS; author on 1 paper in 1996 in Endocrinology; currently working in the biotechnology industry), Earl Maes (a Hispanic student applying for medical school) and Keith Woronoff (MS student; author on 1 ms and 2 publications) have worked hard.  Brandt Gillum (1996) entered a graduate program at the Univ. of Iowa.  Melanie Overlay (1996) taught in Aurora Public Schools and went to graduate school (she plans to continue research and wants to teach in a smaller university). Pat Ayers (undergraduate) is an author on a paper in J. Lipid Research (this journal has a relatively high SCI impact rating of 4.34).  After Pat helped develop our HPLC method, he left for industry and he found his experience in my lab to be very helpful (see letter attached at the end of this RUI statement). In 1997, Thomas Morrison joined my lab, and, after getting his Master's degree in 1999, is now in a Ph.D. program in virology at the University of North Carolina medical school.  Leslie Edwards, Robert Buck, Eric Spears, Sheri Widner, Melinda Dunning, Alisa Johnson, Mikki Hand, Michelle Rich, Shannon Kuchel, Stephan Ammon, Ingar Krebs all worked for 1-2 semesters in 1996-1997.  

Leslie Edwards has gone on to a Ph.D. in science education from University of Colorado at Boulder and, as part of her research she directed a program in science and technology for middle-school girls who live in depressed areas of Denver (e.g., Five Points).  Currently, I am working with Leslie and we have obtained local funding to bring middle school teachers from Cole Middle School (predominately Hispanic inner city school) to my lab. In November of 2003, seven teachers spent time in my lab learning fertilization techniques, taking video microscopy for use in their school.

Khulan Batbayar obtained her Master’s degree in my lab (obtaining a partial clone of Xenopus phospholipase D) in 2001 and is now in a Ph.D. program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (in molecular genetics). 

Undergraduate Laura Langley worked for almost 2 years in the lab (and is an author on our 2000 Endocrinology paper).  In 1998, Irit Goren (Ms. in , Kai Savi, Heather Locke, Jennifer Hall, Shelly Niklos, Maria-Teresa Marti worked in the lab.  Jennifer worked harder and longer (through spring 1999) than most and is an author on our J. Lipid Research 2000 paper. 

In 1998, four undergraduates joined my lab: Patricia Medina (an Hispanic female), William Holland, Tom Fennell, and Lisa Swise.  Patricia is now in graduate school at UCHSC and is an author on our paper on quantification of phospholipids during fertilization.  William Holland stayed on for a Masters with me, is first author on two papers, and is now in a Ph.D. program in biochemistry at Colorado State University.  Lisa Swise entered medical school. In 2000, undergraduate Erinn Stauter joined the lab and has worked on lipid separation in our collaboration with a faculty member at University of California-Davis (Dr. R. Nuccitelli).  She is now in medical school (UCHSC). 

In 2002, these undergraduates worked in my lab: Stephen Sharp, Natalya Zvereva, Pablo Joucovsky, Elizabeth Lampert, Cassandra Shum, Carolyn Anello, Liliana Cabrera, Seth Washeck, Zora Generalovich, and David Carujo. In 2002, Ying Chang joined the lab as Master’s student. 

In 2003, the undergraduates Leonid Vigderman, James Davidson, John Winkler, Angela Gibson, Crystal Czesczny, Timothy Silverstein, Thomas Arthur worked in my lab (typically 1 to 3 days a week).  In the fall of 2003, Jason Stafford joined my lab as a Master’ student.

Over the past 15 years, hundreds of other undergraduate students visited the lab for brief periods of time (few hours, few days to months).  Whether the student actually performed experiments in my lab or not, I believe that even short periods of lab experience gave them a deeper understanding of science and scientific methods (for pre-med students, this is probably the only research experience they will have).

            Allan Kirkwood, Tim Silverstein and Wendy Dickerson (African American woman) are three of my undergraduate students who received Undergraduate Research Honors degrees (which are based on grade point average, an undergraduate thesis and at least one year of research work).  This special recognition encourages undergraduate participation in research.

My Biology Department

In the Biology Department, we have about 600 undergraduate and 20 Master's students (as is true to all natural and physical sciences at UCD, Biology does not have a Doctoral program).

            The high quality of our students is proven by the finding that a large number of Biology undergraduates go on to graduate or professional programs (we have the highest acceptance rate at the School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center or UCHSC, compared to any other branch, university or college in the state of Colorado).  Dr. Ferguson (our pre-professional advisor) and I estimate that, over the past 15 years, some 700 students have obtained a bachelor degree in biology and went on to a doctorate (we average about 35 students per year entering Medical School alone).  Many of these medical students worked in my lab and have noted that this was the only research lab experience they have received.

Biology Department Commitment to Undergraduate Research

            All biology faculty teach a "Senior seminar" in their field of expertise.  Although we all follow the same pattern, my course I covers basic lab safety (including radioisotopes), the scientific method, statistics, basic research methods (biochemical and electrophysiological techniques), ethics in science, research animal care guidelines and graphics for papers and posters (including computer and photography methods).  To develop communication skills, there are two 1/2 hr presentations by students on one or two journal articles. 

Funding for this grant will provide equipment that will be demonstrated in this senior seminar course and others.  My laboratory, which emphasizes biochemistry, is used as a resource by undergraduate graduate student projects, and by other biology and chemistry faculty who need biochemical expertise and equipment.   

            After a year in a research lab, undergraduates are encouraged to present their data in front of the department or in the senior seminar.  As noted above, laboratory meetings provide other opportunity for presentations. 

We also have a tuition award program for outstanding undergraduates based on their involvement in research.  Undergraduates are encouraged to work in a research lab since our department gives directed studies (undergraduate research) credit (about one credit hour for 3-5 hours work per week) and these credits can count toward the Biology degree.

            The other faculty members in my department typically have 2-3 undergraduate researchers involved in projects ranging from ecology to neuroscience.  Here is a partial list of Biology students who have continued in science after an undergraduate research experience:  Vicky Ziemba (Ph.D. program in biochemistry, Boston University), Michelle Lomme (co-author of 1 published abstract and refereed paper while in our department, now at UCHSC), Theresa Gisi (co-author of 1 published abstract and refereed paper, UCHSC), Gerald Clayton (Ph.D. program in neuroscience, UCHSC), Kevin Poth (Ph.D. program, University of Florida, Pharmacology Department), Carol Hope (Ph.D. program, Pharmacology Dept., UCHSC), Pam Smith (M.D.-Ph.D. program at UCHSC), Andy Lewis (his 1994 B.A. in biology involved lab research, currently working as a Research Assistant at UCHSC) and Ronald Langley (Ph.D. program, Colorado State University). Stacy Stryker, Bobbi Pike,  Douglas Hammond, and James Weckbaugh are three of the approximately 10 students who are Biology majors at UCD who also work 3 miles away in research labs at UCHSC, Web-Waring Lung Institute or E. Roosevelt Institute (Weckbaugh was in Dr. Ted Puck's lab).  Kendal Lee (M.D.-Ph.D., Yale Univ.) worked in a couple of our undergraduate research labs and has been named one of seven students nationwide who won an $80,000 scholarship from the Life and Health Insurance Medical Research Fund (June, 1995).  Coleen Ramos, who worked in a UCD Biology research lab, entered the Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1998.  Another one of our Biology undergraduates who worked in a faculty member's lab is Brian Donahue; he was accepted into the Boulder Ph.D. program in chemistry (and was working in Nobel laureate Thomas Cech's lab).  While working in an ecology lab here in my Biology department, Roger Albertson received an undergraduate research grant from the University of Colorado-Denver and then pursued a Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Oregon.  Renea Hardwick attended Clemson in Ph.D. program in plant biology.

University commitment to research:

The University of Colorado at Denver is an “Urban University” due to its location (downtown), high number of minority students, lack of dormitories.  To enhance our role as an "Urban University,” the university has a stated goal of involving students in “the design, implementation and reporting of a scholarly project(s)..."          In 1993, the university began an "Undergraduate Research Opportunities Grant Program" (UROP). By 2003, seven students have received awards of about $1500 each to perform research in my lab.

Due to the success of the UROP program, our Chancellor created a new office in the fall of 1996: Office of Student Creative Activities and Research.  With sponsorship from this office, we had the first "University of Colorado-Denver Research Day."  My lab had five undergraduates and one Master's student participating in the presentation of our data.  Over 60 research posters were presented.  At a special ceremony, cash awards were given to students for the top 3 posters.  There was a separate award for the department that demonstrates outstanding accomplishments in integrating teaching and research.

Undergraduate involvement in research has been encouraged as the University provided funding for my travel to the Council on Undergraduate Research national meetinga (1988, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002).  In addition, there are honors degree programs for undergraduate research involvement.  Encouragement for research is noted by the set-up money I received for my laboratory, the 1990 construction of a $35 million building with new laboratories and a 1 million dollar animal facility. 

            Four biology research labs have been renovated and expanded over the past few years.  In my lab alone, construction doubled my research space (completed in the summer of 2002) by knocking down walls to an adjoining office.  New lab benches, cabinetry and another sink were installed. 

            Further evidence for support of research is the fact that the University gave me approximately $15,000 in matching funds for my 1993-1996 NSF grant.  The NSF supplied an equivalent amount and this allowed the purchase of a computer-based HPLC.  In 1996, the University provided more than matching funds ($~7000) for the purchase of the evaporative light scattering detector. The university has granted me a reduced teaching load over the past two years (from four to three courses a year).

            Another outcome of these programs is that U.S. News and World Report (1992 Guide to America's Best Colleges) has ranked the University of Colorado at Denver among the top 15 universities in the western region and cite it as one of the top 3 "best buys" in the West.

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ATTACHMENT #1: Open Letter to Those Considering Undergraduate Laboratory Studies

                Allow me to spend a little time convincing you of the benefits of doing undergraduate laboratory work in an actual laboratory setting. For two and one-half years, while I was a student at the University of Colorado at Denver, I studied and worked in Dr. Stith's laboratory on campus. In addition to being involved in his internationally recognized research, I was also able to pick up extremely valuable experience that established a standard by which I was to be employed thereafter. I cannot understate the importance this has meant to securing each and every position I have held since leaving school.

                Good examples of what employers expect from scientific undergraduates after graduation are solid foundations in basic laboratory skills. Glassware handling, the use of an analytical balance, quick and accurate molarity calculations, and the importance of a well-kept laboratory notebook are essential laboratory skills. Although these skills are taught in student laboratories to an extent, they cannot be appreciated until that effort can be applied to real life situations seen in the research labs on campus. A daily exposure to the everyday workings of a research laboratory will provide a student with more that he can use after school than any classroom laboratory can provide on an hour per week basis. The experience gained during a volunteer period of service or part-time employment in an academic research lab benefits not only those who wish to pursue laboratory or research careers, but also the aspiring medical student, and even those who never see a laboratory again for the entirety of their career.

                I can directly relate some of my experiences in temporary positions that I have held to laboratory work I did in Dr. Stith's laboratory. While under the employment of Kelly Scientific Services, I was required to work in many different laboratory environments. I worked for Core Environmental Laboratories, performing organic extractions for a while. Understanding of the fundamental chemistry behind the separation of organic and aqueous chemical mixtures came directly from lipid extractions I performed while in the research lab. I spent a short time at a standards preparation lab in Boulder, working for Sievers Instruments, again able to refer back to my undergraduate research days for an understanding of reagent preparation, correct pipetting procedure, and the basics of instrumental testing with continuous flow apparatus.

                Perhaps my most rewarding experience, however, came during my first day of an assignment with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. I was assigned immediately to the toxicology section of the laboratory, and for all intents and purposes it seemed as if I would spend the majority of this temporary position emptying urine samples for the analysts. The lab director walked in as I was being instructed on job procedure by a technician, and asked if I had any radiation experience. Much of my undergraduate research lab experience was related to using radioactive labeling with phosphorus-32 and tritium to identify protein activity. In addition, I had been required to take a short course on radioactive safety procedures with the University of Colorado. The result of having this experience: instant promotion from lab assistant to technician. My temporary service agency called later that day to inform me that I would also be earning a dollar extra an hour. I can't guarantee these exact experiences for everyone, but my point is, out of all the training the undergraduate research offered, that which was valuable was to be determined only after I was on the job.

                The benefits of spending a year or two doing an independent study program, and gaining knowledge from the invaluable pool of experience that research laboratory work can offer are inestimable at the time, but, as I have tried to impress, of much more potential value later. Take some time to consider, as an undergraduate in the sciences, whether or not you can afford to miss this opportunity now. I propose that you may, in fact, never have a more direct chance to experience what should be a foundation of all undergraduate lessons- that all science starts in the lab.

-Patrick Ayres

University of Colorado at Denver, Class of May, 1998

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ATTACHMENT #2: Email from Sally Silva (now Tenorio)

Dr. Stith,

I hope you are doing well along with Carla and the boys.  I had to do a

bio-sketch for a grant that we are working on for Vitamin E and Selenium for Prostate Cancer.

This made me reach out to the internet to see if I could get some information on the

papers that I had been listed on. This brought me to your web site and  I think your web site

is fabulous. 

I can't believe how many students have had the opportunity to receive accolades

in the hard work that you do.  My hat goes off to you.  I often see Dawn, Marc and Chris.

There certainly was a bond molded that will last a lifetime.  I am still at

University Hospital and have been a Nurse Screener and Hispanic Recruitment Coordinator for the last

two (2) years for Dr. E. David Crawford, Professor of Urology Oncology.  We do

Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening with a population of 12,678

participants. 

I will have to recruit another 500 participants (Hispanic) this year if the

IRB ever lets us get started again.   Bone Marrow Transplant is where I practice patient care

on weekends, since this is my first love.  We have really made an impact in the Hispanic

world of Cancer and hope to bring awareness to many who would not otherwise have the

opportunity nor the money to be able to get screening. 

I certainly owe a lot of my success to you and your lab for discipline and opportunity.   

I continue to work with the minority groups at the Schools of Nursing and Medicine. 

The last two years I have had the fortune or misfortune

(ha ha) of holding the presidency position on the UCHSC School of Nursing

Alumni Board.  Jim and Anthony are both doing well.  

Respectfully,

Sally

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