A top priority of the Biology Department at Sewanee is getting students involved in research. We want you to take advantage of the many research opportunities here and find your place as a scientist! Students can get involved at any stage - first years to seniors! You can even earn course credit doing research!

These types of hands-on research experiences set Sewanee students ahead for graduate school, professional programs and employment opportunities after graduation. 

Life Sciences Research Fellowship

Each year, the Biology Department accepts a small and highly selective cohort of Research Fellows. Over the course of their time at Sewanee, these fellows have access to funding to cover unique research opportunities, conference travel, publication fees, and more. For especially accomplished students, this distinctive designation ensures access to research and leadership experiences that will set them on the path to successful careers as change-makers in the life sciences. This fellowship is renewable annually provided a student has met academic expectations and ultimately declares a major that is related to the life sciences (e.g. biology, biochemistry, neuroscience, environment and sustainability).

 

Applications for the Life Science Research Fellowship are due on March 15. All admitted students, for the incoming fall class, are invited to apply.

Please contact Dr. Elise Kikis for more information.

Independent Research & Honors

Brian Young
Independent Study

Brian Young is enrolled in a BIOL444 Independent Study with Prof. Kirk Zigler. Brian says, “as a student with both interests in caving and biology, doing research with professor Zigler was something I really wanted to do. Brian’s research consists of sequencing the opsin genes of the numerous species of the Ptomophagus genus, which are small cave beetles found throughout the Southeast.

Steven (Dingchen) Li
Student Research

Steven (Dingchen) Li research in the department has involved taking care of sea urchins, muscle dissection and behavioral experiments using sea urchins, video data collection, and R programming. He is a coauthor on a recently published paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology, titled 

“Effects of neurotransmitter receptor antagonist on sea urchin righting behavior and tube foot motility”

Steven comments about his research that, “It has definitely been an enriching experience. I am grateful for the opportunities that Dr. Shelley has shared with me. I have learned and practiced many different skill sets, which I will definitely be able to use in the real world once I graduate.”.

Oliver Hutchins
Student Research

The work of Oliver Hutchins C’23, manager of the Sewanee Greenhouse was featured in Mainstreet Nashville.

Read the article here!

How To Get Involved

Getting involved in research is easy at Sewanee! 

Simply talk to your professor after class or stop by their office, send them a quick email about your interests, come to our ScienceFriday events and lab-open-house, explore internships and positions posted on Handshake, talk with classmates at Scholarship Sewanee about their research and how they got involved… Let’s get you doing some science!

Honors: requirements for honors in biology

The Sewanee Herbarium
and Plant Press

The Sewanee Herbarium (acronym: UOS) in the Biology Department at the University of the South contains a collection of over 9000 plant specimens and serves as a center for the study of plant diversity on the Cumberland Plateau. The Sewanee Herbarium has catalogued over 1,120 species of vascular plants on Sewanee's 13,000 acre campus as part the Domain Flora Project.

The Sewanee Plant Press is a quarterly newsletter of the Friends of the Herbarium. The Sewanee Plant Press made its debut in the spring of 1997. It publicizes events sponsored each season by the herbarium and describes current botanical and ecological projects.

Learn More
Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship
OURS

Sewanee's Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) encourages, supports, and facilitates student research and scholarly experiences. OURS sponsors workshops, research fellowship programs, and forums in which students may present their research, scholarship, and creative pursuits.

Learn More
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
SURF

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) are academic research opportunities hosted by Sewanee faculty specifically for Sewanee students on campus in the summer. The term “research fellowship” is understood to apply to all research or creative activity in all modes of inquiry in the sciences, arts, humanities, and social sciences to clearly distinguish between academic research-oriented experiences mentored by Sewanee faculty and more general career-related experiences, or internships. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) works with the Career Center to offer unique opportunities each summer. Listings of all SURF positions may be found on Handshake. Applications are due on March 1.

Learn More