One of the most significant opportunities afforded to young scientists as an undergraduate student is the experience of hands-on research and creative exploration.
Undergraduate research has significant influence on students in the sciences, specifically supplying them with practical training, better opportunities to network within their field, and a boost to their academic confidence. Advancing these opportunities, Professor Mikel Holcomb in the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy has been awarded $400,000 from the National Science Foundation to expand on undergraduate research programming at WVU. The program is titled “The Magnetic Analysis and Measurement Project."
All undergraduate students, especially students from an under-represented background or nontraditional foundation, will now be offered new opportunities for research at WVU. An added benefit to the program is that it will potentially reach students that would not otherwise be engaged in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) research.
Holcomb created the program and course from scratch with the intention of inspiring students to find their passion for research by giving them the resources and motivation to propel beyond the common challenges that often cause students to leave the physics major.
She knows from personal experience that early exposure to research may fight the existing barriers that students commonly face. Those barriers include experiencing intimidation and student’s access to opportunities. Holcomb reflects on her personal experience doing research as a freshman undergraduate noting, “An early start was instrumental to my success. That early involvement was absolutely critical.” Now, she wants to ensure more students are offered the same positive experiences early on in their STEM journey.
A common challenge encountered by physics and astronomy programs is students' pervasive struggles with mathematics. As a land-grant state university, WVU plays a vital role in educating students from the Appalachian region and serves many first generation college students. Addressing the unique needs of students, Holcomb wanted to create change and encourage students to explore and succeed in physics research.
Holcomb will lead the program, which includes a 1-credit hour course, with collaborator Professor John Stewart of the WVU Dept. of Physics and Astronomy. The program also supports current Physics and Astronomy graduate students to co-lead the initiative. Students will partner with physics faculty to design experiments for use in research projects that have not been done before.
Critical to student success, the early exposure to STEM research hopes to address current retention trends in STEM fields like physics.
“Being able to participate in authentic scientific research is a key benefit to attending a research university like WVU. Introducing students early to a real research experience will produce excitement about the major they are pursuing while also increasing their confidence and building a sense of community,” Stewart states.
The course will focus on magnetism with emphasis on measurements, material characterization, and more. By engaging in hands-on research in magnetism, undergraduate students can develop the skills and knowledge needed to confidently pursue STEM majors and contribute to the promising future of quantum science.
Haley Searcy of Cincinnati, OH was among the students who assisted with the pilot of the program. Searcy – a junior in Multidisciplinary Studies with minors in Biology, Law and Legal Studies, and Statistics – learned about the pilot through participation in the WVU Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) as a sophomore. “The magnetism class made research feel less scary and more accessible,” Searcy explained. “I not only learned more about physics and magnetism, but I also learned about creating good research questions, collaborating with other scientists, and troubleshooting when things go wrong.”
“My goal is to show them that they can get started in research early on,” states Holcomb. “I don’t care if you’ve never played with a magnet before in your life: you’re ready for this class."
WVU will lead the charge under Profs. Holcomb and Stewart’s leadership. With additional collaborators across the country like Rice University, Carnegie Mellon University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the resources and support for the program are not only sustainable but also collaborative.
The program will be open to undergraduate students at WVU. All majors are welcome. While freshmen are encouraged to participate, the course will be open to undergraduate students of any level.
