Wittenberg’s Biology Department has a deep commitment to student research.  We encourage students to engage in one-on-one research opportunities with faculty throughout their college experience.  These experiences are especially important for students who plan to apply to graduate school programs, as many require previous research experience. Students have the option of participating in an ongoing project with a faculty member or creating their own research project.  These projects vary both in scope and topic to suit the needs of the individual.  Students can conduct research during the academic year, or seek internal funding to conduct their research during the summer months.  Many students begin research as early as their sophomore year, and more than half of our Biology majors complete independent research projects with faculty mentors before they graduate. 

Students also have the opportunity to complete smaller research projects as part of their coursework for a significant number of biology courses.  These projects often take 3-8 weeks of laboratory time to complete, and include the collection, analysis of data, and presentation to the class.  Some of these projects are suitable for students to publish abstracts of their work and present their findings at regional scientific meetings. 

Wittenberg students present their research in some of the leading regional and national scientific meetings, including:

 Association of Southeastern Biologists

Kentucky Academy of Science

Marine Benthic Ecology

Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference

Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference

Midwest Undergraduate Research Conference

National Conference for Undergraduate Research

National Speleological Society

Ohio Academy of Science

Ohio Physiological Society

Wittenberg students have also recently published their findings in leading national and international journals, including:

Acta Zoologica

American Journal of Botany

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and

Hydrobiologica

Hygiene

Annals of Anatomy

Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Copeia

Crustaceana

Journal of Comparative Physiology

Journal of Cave and Karst Studies

Journal of Crustacean Biology

Journal of Invertebrate Pathology

Journal of Medical Entomology

Journal of Morphology

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Medical and Veterinary Entomology

Plant and Soil

Psychological Reports

Theiogenology

For a feature article on biological research at Wittenberg, please read “Discovering the Riches of Research” on the provided link.