Georgia Institute of Technology

The school’s undergraduate research program provides students with an opportunity to exercise their own initiative and creativity in the laboratory while interacting closely with professors, research scientists, and graduate students. Undergraduates often appear as co-authors on scholarly publications and present their research at scientific meetings. Students interested in research with faculty should consult the undergraduate research projects page  and faculty home pages to learn about research opportunities that are currently available and get background on the activities in a faculty members research group.

Research may be performed for course credit or pay (permit required). For students interested in graduate studies and/or a long-term career in research, chemistry and biochemistry students are encouraged to pursue the research option under the B.S. in Chemistry or B.S. in Biochemistry. The relevant research course numbers are: CHEM 2698/2699/4698/4699

Undergraduate Research Course Approval is required every semester and must be appproved and submit at least 48 hours before phase II registration closes.; see this link for the form the UG research permit form.

Georgia Tech undergraduates are encouraged to apply for the President's Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA). These awards provide student salaries and travel expenses for undergraduates to attend and present at professional meetings. Students should also provide a copy of the application to the Academic Programs Office in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry for consideration for the School Undergraduate Research Scholarship. In addition, the school and college both provide travel awards for undergraduates to support the presentation of their research at regional and national meetings.

For non-Georgia Tech students, the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers a 10-week summer undergraduate research program.

• Additional Information on Research and Internship Opportunities

Notes

CHEM 2698 — Research Assistantship (Pay or Audit) for Freshmen and Sophomores (Course: Audit Basis only)

CHEM 2699 — Undergraduate Research for Freshmen and Sophomores (Course: Pass Fail Basis)

CHEM 4698 — Research Assistantship (Pay or Audit) for Juniors and Seniors (Course: Audit Basis Only)

CHEM 4699 — Undergraduate Research for Juniors and Seniors (Course: Letter Grade Basis)

CHEM 2698 or 4698 Credit earned on audit basis (i.e., pay or volunteer basis) does not count toward your degree.

3 Hours in the research lab per week are required for 1 credit of coursework. Students may register for a maximum of 4 credit hours per semester on Letter Grade Basis (CHEM 2699 and CHEM 4699). If additional research hours are desired they may be added on Audit Basis (CHEM 2698 and 4698). The total number of letter grade 4699 credits in any field is 12 per degree. Any field means CHEM 4699, BIOL4699, BMED 4699, etc.

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About 25% of our undergraduates are involved in research within the School during any given semester. Here are some tips on getting started.

1. Decide what you who you would like to work with and what you want to do. You should check out the undergraduate projects research page to see what projects are currently available.  

2. If you find a project that is interesting, check the faculty research descriptions on the School homepage. Don't worry if you don't understand everything on the web page—it can be very specific to the area of research. Just use it to get a general idea of what the professor does and whether you might be interested.

3.  Email the undergraduate research coordinator, Dr. Kimberly Schurmeier the following information for each research project you are interested in. The information will then be directly forwarded to the research advisor along with your transcript.  With this in mind, please write everything as though you are addressing the research advisor, not the research coordinator. The following two items are required as .pdf attachments.  

a) A paragraph about why you are interested in joining a research group and more importantly why you are interested in this research project in particular.

b) A resume.

4. If you are invited in for an interview, make a good first impression. Be professional and always err on the side of being too formal. Remember, this is a chemistry interview, so dress properly. Be patient as you might not be chosen for your first interview. 

5. After you get a position, you can sign up for academic credit or do this on an audit basis. If you “audit”, you will not have to pay for the credit hours and you will not receive credit towards your degree, but the work will be recorded on your transcript. Fill out the form "Undergraduate Research Course Approval" every semester and have it approved and submitted at least 48 hours before registration for phase II closes (permit required).

2698 = FR/SO standing, audit based 2699 = FR/SO standing, credit based (pass/fail) 4698 = JR/SR standing, audit based 4699 = JR/SR standing, credit based (letter grade)

The "advisor's signature" is your research advisor, not your academic advisor.

Return the form (permit required)  to the Academic Programs office in Boggs 2nd floor room 2-90A.

A course will be set up in Oscar, a permit granted and an email sent to you with the CRN.

The completed form, with research advisor's signature, must be returned to Boggs room 2-90A 48 hours before phase II registration closes.

Be sure to read the information at the bottom of the permit form detailing what is expected of you during or at the end of the semester (CHEM 2698/9 requires a 2-3 page final report. CHEM 4698/9 requires a final research report and final evaluation approved by research advisor for 4698/9). The mentor will submit the final evaluation via http://s2.cos.gatech.edu/content/undergraduate-research-evaluation

A well-written, comprehensive, and well documented research report must be prepared regardless of the degree of success of the project. Student co-authorship on journal articles is encouraged but does not substitute for a comprehensive report.

For CHEM 2699 and 4699, faculty advisors must grade the final reports with specific comments and assign a final grade.

6. Final Report

For students registered in CHEM 4698 or 4699, a final research report (see ACS Professional Training link below), approved by your Research Advisor supervisor, must be submitted to the Academic Programs Office by the end of the term. The style may be one specified by your research advisor or a format suggested my the American Chemical Society. See ACS, Committee on Professional Training, Preparing a Research Report.