Lupita R

- Research Program Mentor

Project ideas

Learn about the underlying biology of a specific topic.

The Freshman in my course How Does Your Brain Work? learn how different parts of their brain interact to create their experience of the world around them. Students would select a topic in Biology they are curious to learn more about. For example, how does our body recognize novel viruses or what happens in the brain when someone is addicted to a drug or how does cancer spread throughout the human body. This type of project would involve learning how to navigate scholarly work online, how to explore online research databases, and how to communicate scientific concepts. Possible final projects include a podcast telling the story of what goes on in the body or a review paper of important research in the field. This type of project would be great for a student that wants to tackle a complex biological topic and get a deeper understanding than what is presented in a college introductory biology textbook.

Final Notes

I am happy to mentor students that are curious to learn more about specific biological concepts, that want to learn about experimental design, or that want to take an interdisciplinary approach to investigating a topic they are passionate about. I encourage all my students to think about the output or final project of their investigation. Examples of final projects my students have done include podcasts, Op-Eds, scientific articles, and infographics. Above are a couple ideas, which can also be used as a springboard for tailored ideas that students are particularly passionate or curious about.

Coding skills