The faculty of the Chemistry Department believes very strongly that research is a vital component in the education of a chemist. We encourage our undergraduate students to begin research as early as possible in their academic careers; occasionally sophomores, and even freshmen get involved with it on a formal or informal basis. However, it is usually not until their junior or senior years that students can engage in independent work due to the demands of their schedules, and the necessity of their having sufficient preparation in the fundamentals of chemistry and other related subjects.
In recognition of the range of backgrounds students will have, the Department offers several undergraduate research courses, each with a different pre- and corequisite; all courses require consent of instructor and an approved application. Registration for research cannot be done on-line, but is accomplished through the department during the first two weeks of each semester.
The Chemistry Department offers undergraduate research courses for 2 or 4 units. The faculty has established the rule that 4 units should involve no less than 16 hours of research activity per week.
Students can satisfy Hub requirements by participating in undergraduate research for academic credit. The Hub areas earned will depend on the student’s class year, how many semesters of research they have completed, and the number of units that the research course carries. By doing undergraduate research, students can satisfy the following Hub requirements: Research and Information Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Critical Thinking, and Creativity/Innovation. By doing honors research in Chemistry (CH 401 and CH 402), students will earn the following Hub requirements: Teamwork/Collaboration, Creativity/Innovation, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration, and Oral and/or Signed Communication. For more information on which research courses carry which Hub units, please visit the Chemistry Courses page of the BU Bulletin.
Honors Research in Chemistry
CH401 and 402, which can only be taken for 4 units each, are the Chemistry Department’s components of the Honors in Chemistry Research. Completion of these courses is a requirement for graduation with a B.A. Degree in Chemistry “With Honors”. Note that Honors students are required to write a thesis and defend it orally before a committee of the chemistry faculty at the end of the second semester.
Applications for Honors, which can be obtained in here, must contain a detailed description of the proposed research with bibliographic citations. Students applying for honors must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher. Honors cannot be awarded to students with less than a 3.0 GPA upon graduation. Students applying for honors must have a 3.2 GPA in courses required for the chemistry major (includes all required math, physics, and biology courses). The continuation form for CH 402 can be found here.
For Honors research, periodic research reports, a final thesis, and a defense of the thesis are required. Seniors (including those in the B.A./M.A. program) who are completing a two-semester sequence in research or Honors are required to present the results of their activity at the Departmental Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end of Semester II; other undergraduates involved in research are also encouraged to participate.
All students engaged in undergraduate research their senior year are required to present at the spring semester’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Choosing a Research Advisor
The first step is to become aware of the research interests of the members of the faculty. These research interests are found in each faculty member’s profile (see the Faculty section of our website for this information). You should then discuss with several faculty members, whose research areas interest you, the problems they have available for undergraduates. You should note that for reasons of group size and suitability of problems, a faculty member with whom you wish to work may not be able to accept you. Upon reaching a mutual understanding about the nature and demands of the project, you are ready to submit your research course application to the Chemistry Department.
External Research
The department recognizes that research endeavors outside the department with considerable chemistry components may attract chemistry majors. In order to be approved for your research course for work outside the department, the following guidelines must be followed.
The research cannot carry a stipend. (university regulation, you cannot get paid for completing coursework).
The usual application for undergraduate research must be filled out, and this application must be approved by the Undergraduate Affairs Committee.
You must have an advisor from the chemistry department faculty who will monitor the progress of the research. This should be someone who is an expert in the field in which you are doing research. Regular meetings must be scheduled with this internal advisor to keep them abreast of the research.
Two copies of a research report are required at the end semester. One copy goes to the chemistry faculty advisor and a second copy to the Undergraduate Affairs Committee. One cannot register for another semester of research until this report is submitted.
UROP
UROP provides an opportunity for full-time undergraduates throughout all of Boston University to be involved in research. The areas of research vary and open positions are frequently posted.
Summer Research
A number of summer research programs exist in Chemistry departments across the country in NSF-sponsored programs called Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). These programs are generally between five and ten weeks long and introduce undergraduate students into methods of research. Visit the National Science Foundation website for more information, or go directly to Chemistry REUs.
