Simmons College

The Undergraduate Laboratory Renaissance program will replace closed-end laboratory experiments with research-based laboratory work in each area of undergraduate science. A project based on a faculty member's research will form the basis for the semester's laboratory work, with teams of four students working on different aspects of the project. Upper-division majors will mentor students in research methodology and instrumental techniques. To coordinate research activity among several laboratory sections meeting each week, a Wiki-based laboratory notebook will be used to communicate results. When this research-based program is fully implemented, all students contemplating majors in chemistry, biochemistry, chemistry/pharmacy, and biology will participate in research beginning in the sophomore year following an introduction to research methodology during the spring of their first year.