Starting in January, George Mason University undergraduate students have a unique opportunity to spend a spring semester conducting research with Smithsonian biologists.
This new program offers students a learning experience that may help them find their true calling, said Larry Rockwood, chair of George Mason’s Department of Biology.
That’s certainly what happened for Will Pitt, deputy director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. An engineering major, he switched to biology to be part of a similar undergraduate research program at the University of Minnesota to research white-tailed deer and black bears.
“That experience was the start of my professional career,” he said. “Some of the relationships you establish last a lifetime. I still talk to my undergraduate research advisor and he’s now 85 years old and in a nursing home.”
Mason’s College of Science, specifically the Biology Department, has made undergraduate research a priority, Rockwood said. Having Mason students work with Smithsonian researchers was a natural fit, because of the existing collaboration at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation in Front Royal, Va.
“This exclusive partnership with Smithsonian Institution is part of Mason’s innovative approach for multidisciplinary and inquiry-based learning,” said S. David Wu, Mason provost and executive vice president. “The Smithsonian Mason Research Semester offers students an exceptional opportunity to work with scientists at the National Zoo or the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute to gain hands-on experience in original research. Collaborative programs like this help to differentiate Mason and build its reputation in creating synergy and connection between research and teaching.”
Students can apply to study such diverse topics as cheetahs, fertility and carnivores, the genetics of endangered animals, and GPS tracking of endangered or rare animals. The application process is underway and students can apply now. About 20 slots are available.
“It’s not just playing—it’s real research,” Pitt said.
Students will earn six to nine biology credits for the semester and can stay at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal. The spring program is an offshoot of an undergraduate research fall program coordinated with or led by Mason faculty.
“If a student is pre-vet or other health field, this is an amazing opportunity,” Rockwood said. “They will learn how to create an experimental design and analyze data.”
Smithsonian researchers benefit too. In the short term, essential work gets done. And in the long term, they help mentor the next generation of researchers.
“For me, it opened opportunities for graduate school and other research opportunities,” Pitt said. “It was everything for my undergraduate education.”