Conducting research at primarily undergraduate institutions

In open access journal, Cell Reports Physical Science, Furman University’s George Shields, professor of chemistry, gives his take on the challenges and opportunities when conducting research at a Primarily Undergraduate University. Offering pointers for running a lab, he wrote, “It is advantageous to run your PUI research group like a mini-research group and bring in students as first-year or second-year students, keeping the ones who are ignited by doing research until they graduate. This early-introduction-to-research model allows the older students to pass on knowledge to the younger students and keeps momentum going in the lab.” Shields also notes a big research advantage PUIs have over larger schools.