On The Research Trail
At Tulane, students get the support they need to develop their hypotheses or assist with ongoing faculty-led research. Often, the undergraduate research leads to a master’s degree. Student research takes many forms from independent study projects to honors theses, laboratory or field work.
One day, Jeremy Eberle was talking with his organic chemistry professor. The next day, he was working in Tulane’s chemistry lab setting up chemical reactions as part of research to develop polymer compounds that deliver drugs through the skin to the bloodstream. “I started working with a grad student who mentored me,“ Jeremy explains. “He taught me how to set up reactions. Eventually I was able to do it on my own and became independent. Now, I’m in the lab, setting up the same chemical reactions as the grad students.“ Jeremy is published now “ his name is listed on one of their projects with other Tulane researchers.
Danny Paulson was on to something. The junior from Colorado Springs was doing an internship for a Louisiana Congressman when he began wondering: why do some incumbent politicians always have their eyes on a higher office? Danny received one of numerous grants from Tulane to explore the notion of “progressive ambition.“ His findings: “There are circumstantial determinants such as the state you live in, the type of district you’re in, and how many years in a particular office that absolutely correspond to a greater tendency to be progressively ambitious,“ The research grant allowed Danny to present his findings at a national political science association conference in Chicago. “At the conference, I was able to meet with other professors and scholars. It made me far more aware of what a true academic does and that was very valuable,“ said Danny who intends to go to graduate school.
Katie Carmichael’s research took her to the bayou to study Louisiana French. The French and linguistics major conducted interviews with members of the Pointe-Aux-Chenes tribe for an honors thesis on Louisiana French. She researched sound variations in the language, a derivative of modern European French. That undergraduate research laid the groundwork for her master’s thesis which she is completing as part of Tulane’s 4 + 1 program, which allows her to obtain a master’s degree in just one year. “I was a French major and this research allowed me to use my French skills and study a linguistic phenomenon,“ she says. “There are a lot of opportunities to study in Louisiana. There are lots of things that you can only do here.“ Katie received a grant from Tulane to cover the cost of transportation to Pointe-Aux-Chenes, almost two hours south of New Orleans.
Learning begins in cells. So says Claire Stelly. The junior from New Orleans is working side by side with her cell and molecular biology professor studying the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in learning. Claire translates: “We’re studying how the cells in your brain learn and the changes they undergo that give rise to learning.“ Claire became interested in the field when she decided to take an upper level neuroscience course as a freshman. Her professor, Laura Schrader, encouraged her to do more. “Undergrads work in Dr. Schrader’s lab and she is always generous with her time and support,“Claire says. “The faculty at Tulane want undergrads to do more than just wash glassware in the lab and when you get the chance to actually perform research techniques and sit in on lab meetings it adds a whole new dimension to the theory you’re learning in your classes.“
4 + 1 = Master’s Degree Earn a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Five Years
A 4 + 1 program allows a student to obtain a master’s degree within one year of completing his or her bachelor’s degree. Traditionally, over one-third of Tulane students enter graduate school immediately after graduation. Tulane’s graduate school has developed the 4 + 1 program in numerous disciplines to meet this demand. The program allows a substantial tuition discount for the fifth year Master’s program.