Student Research
It is the philosophy of the Natural Science Division that the development of skills in science and math requires engaging students as scholars. Therefore, one major goal of the Division is to involve undergraduates in research projects with faculty mentors. Beginning their first year at Pepperdine, students in the division have access to research opportunities associated with their major. During the fall and spring terms, many students are hired as research assistants through support from the division. Several opportunities for extensive undergraduate research are provided including: 1) the SURB (Summer Undergraduate Research in Biology) program, funded by the National Science Foundation; 2) SURP (Pepperdine's Summer Undergraduate Research Program); 3) intramural (Seaver College) and extramural (state and federal grants) support provided to individual professors; and 4) contributions from private benefactors. Collectively, these various resources support over 50 students annually.
Students participating in these research opportunities have presented papers and posters at regional, national, and international professional meetings. Additionally, many of these research projects result in publication in peer reviewed journals.