Research doesn't have to be boring, and many departments offer extra credit or course credit as an incentive.
In her "Lab Drinking Game" project, Jessica Britt, senior in clinical psychology, measures the average amount of alcohol consumed during a game of beer pong and the decision-making abilities of the players afterward.
Using breathalyzer tests and computer measurements, the researchers ensure no participant consumes more than the legal limit so they can monitor the effects of legally accepted blood alcohol levels on behavior.
"The drinking game seemed interesting and an exciting way to learn information that pertains to me and my fellow peers," Britt said. "With drinking being a social event now, it almost always occurs, so why not learn more about the social events most of our peers take part in?"
Austin Hoyt, senior in biomedical sciences, is conducting a project monitoring the diets of mice.
During a span of 20 weeks, Hoyt and his colleagues will monitor two groups of mice, one given a high-fat diet, the other a low-fat regimen, to study the effects of fat on the body.
Through blood, insulin and tissue tests, students hope to gauge obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes in the mice to better understand how diets affect our health.
"Our department deems undergraduate research as a critical component to enhance the quality of learning," said Suresh Mathews, assistant professor in nutrition. "Though students know what research is, they've never had a hands-on approach conducting original research. It helps them understand the science behind the theories they read in textbooks."
Lindsey Garner, senior in biomedical science, took up research in biology to get her credit hours.
Assisting a graduate student, Garner is studying Marshallia mohrii, also known as the "Barbara's Button," an endangered plant indigenous to the Southeast.
With their research, the students hope to discover why the plant grows primarily in Alabama and Georgia and why so few types of the plant exist.
The wide range of options afforded to students enables them to find projects that interest them and provides helpful experience imperative for getting a job or into graduate school.
"Just having a background in doing research on anything in biology, chemistry, nutrition looks good because you'll do tons of outside fieldwork," Garner said.
Britt also works as an intern at a correctional center in Mount Meigs where she tests juvenile sex offenders to gain experience with criminal profiling.
It empowers her to pursue her interest in forensic psychology.
"Interning at Mount Meigs has changed my perspective on young delinquents," Britt said.
Such projects allow students to find what they enjoy doing and give them experience.
Britt said, "I've always had a passion for helping others and exploring the abnormal, so both of these labs are very self-fulfilling."
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