Undergraduate Research with Robin Bond

Rigorous quantitative and qualitative research is an important component of academic learning in Scientific Inquiry. Research opportunities allow science students to work on specific projects associated with faculty members’ expertise. Students typically begin by working in an apprenticeship model with faculty or laboratory staff and gradually take on more independent projects within the context of the specific research program as they gain experience. Students can develop vital skills in research design, data acquisition and interpretation, modeling and theoretical analysis, written and oral communication, collaboration and critical thinking. These are valuable skills for students pursuing a graduate degree or entering the job market.

Robin Bond    (analytical chemistry) studies toxic and/or redox-active chemicals and how they interact with microbes, primarily in aquatic (freshwater & marine) as well as terrestrial environments. Potential projects could include: creating or refining detection methods for chemicals that are hard to measure by existing techniques, field or laboratory studies that examine metal or nutrient cycling, and laboratory modeling or field analog studies related to astrobiology. In addition to improving laboratory bench skills and critical thinking processes, students can become proficient in data analysis and the use of major or minor instrumentation.