At Cedar Crest, we believe that science comes alive when you put classroom and textbook learning into hands-on practice in the laboratory. That’s why all students in our biological sciences programs—biodiversity and conservation biology, biology, genetic engineering, neuroscience and nuclear medicine technology—conduct a research project during their first year on campus.
Our faculty—who have extensive experience as researchers and mentors—will help guide you through the process, offering you plenty of direction on how to use our state-of-the-art equipment properly and conduct valid research. You will also receive assistance from upper-class level student research directors who have been chosen for their knowledge and ability to communicate effectively.
As your lab skills develop, you will progress to independent, high-level research and you will be able to present your findings to prestigious scientific organizations at regional and national conferences. This opportunity allows you to network with a wide range of professionals in your field. Some students have also been authors on research articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
Here are some of the events at which our students have recently presented their research findings:
Cedar Crest Students at 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology 2010 in San Diego
Depending on your major, you will also have the opportunity to conduct short-term field studies with faculty in places such as the desert of Arizona and the coral reefs of the Caribbean. Through our affiliation with the School for Field Studies, some students may also spend a month or a semester conducting research on environmental and conservation-related issues at such destinations as Belize, Turks and Caicos Islands (Caribbean), Bhutan, Kenya and Tanzania, Australia and New Zealand, and Costa Rica. (These opportunities are subject to change.)
The biological sciences are complex, and preparing for a career in them demands that you receive training on sophisticated instrumentation currently used by science professionals in the field—including our faculty. Beginning your first year as a biological sciences student at Cedar Crest College, you will conduct research and coursework in exceptional state-of-the-art laboratories, including the following:
In addition to providing a full array of standard equipment, some of the state-of-the-art technology that you will use includes:
Conduct research in a variety of locations through School for Field Studies
At Cedar Crest College, our biological sciences department puts great emphasis on field studies as a complement to the research that you will perform on campus. Participating in field research enables you to study subjects in their natural surroundings, which can provide you with crucial insight and valuable research findings.
In many cases, field research can also provide exposure to other cultures: This is an important element of the liberal arts education experience in general—and a key component in Cedar Crest College’s mission to educate the next generation of women leaders to serve in the United States and across the globe.
For these and other reasons, Cedar Crest partners with the School for Field Studies (SFS) to provide students like you with extraordinary and varied off-campus research opportunities.
Cedar Crest College is an affiliate member of the School for Field Studies (SFS), an organization whose mission is to create “transformative study-abroad experiences through field-based learning and research.” Through this affiliation, Cedar Crest students are able to conduct hands-on, community-focused environmental field work in SFS programs around the world, including sites in:
The SFS offers both semester-long and month-long summer programs, and these programs are offered in addition to the field opportunities provided directly by Cedar Crest College.
As a Cedar Crest student, you receive the following benefits from our affiliation with SFS:
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