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Undergraduate Research
One of the most important experiences for undergraduate science majors is the ability to participant in original research programs. Over 200 students have conducted summer research in chemistry at Wake Forest since 1985, funded through research grants, Wake Forest Research Scholarships and an NSF-Research Experience for Undergraduates program. Over the last 15 years, 70 undergraduates have co-authored research publications originating from the Chemistry Department. This success in fostering independent research by undergraduates has resulted in a reputation for quality that is reflected in the career paths of chemistry majors at Wake Forest University. Since 1986, Wake Forest chemistry majors had a 67% success rate applying to medical schools and have gone to schools such as UNC-Chapel Hill, UVA, Johns Hopkins, and Wake Forest University. Chemistry majors entering industry have gained employment at Glaxo-Wellcome, Pfizer, Boston Scientific Corp., Union Carbide, and the National Cancer Institute.
Students entering graduate programs have gone to schools such as UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania, MIT, Harvard, Vanderbilt, UC-Berkeley, Oxford Univ., Yale, UCLA, Duke, Cornell, Emory University, University of Chicago, and the Scripps Research Institute to study disciplines as diverse as Environmental Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biology, and Toxicology.
Students may receive academic credit (CHM 391 or CHM 392) or scholarships and financial incentives for research projects. Research may be conducted during the summer or the academic year. For information on financial support available for undergraduates pursuing independent research, please see Scholarships and Awards.
If you are interested in beginning a research project in chemistry, consult the list of chemistry faculty. Read their research descriptions and look for areas that match your interests. Then individually contact those professors whose work you find intriguing and ask for more information on available research projects. Note that many national scholarships and awards, for both undergraduate and graduate students, are given based on past research accomplishments. The earlier in your college career you begin participating in research, the more you will learn and the stronger your application for such awards will be.
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