The 2016-17 cohort of Research Rookies has been named! The NIU Research Rookies Program links undergraduate freshmen, sophomore and first-semester transfer students with faculty mentors in their major or area of interest to conduct a small-scale research or artistry project.
A total of 48 NIU undergraduate students have been named as Research Rookies for the program’s seventh year on campus. This year’s cohort represents all six undergraduate colleges and over 25 departments. Research Rookies have come from as close as DeKalb, and as far away as Yangon, Myanmar.
As a Research Rookie, students will:
· Learn what research looks like in their field of study
· Learn how to write a formal project proposal
· Gain experience working alongside talented faculty
· Attend professional and academic enrichment activities
· Present their work at the annual Undergraduate Research and Artistry Day
· Receive a $500 stipend at the completion of the program
This year’s cohort will be working on many fascinating projects with a wide array of topics covered. Aspen Wheeler, a freshman geology and chemistry double-major, is assessing the relative abundance of biogeochemical features, such as precipitation or etching, on different compositions of subglacial Antarctic sediments and determining the chemical composition of those features at three different samples sites. Nicole Hoffmann, biomedical engineering major, second-year Rookie and peer mentor in the program, is working with nanoparticles to optimize the quantity of chemicals involved and their stability.
Participating in Research Rookies is the perfect way for highly motivated students to connect with one another as well as with supportive faculty and staff. Past Research Rookies have gone on to become:
· SROP, SEF, and USOAR Participants
· Lincoln Laureates
· Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Participants
· FermiLab Summer Internships in Science and Technology (SIST) Participants
· Forward Together Forward Scholarship Recipients
· Honors Scholars
· McKearn Fellows
For more information on the program and to view the profiles for each Rookie, visit the Research Rookies website. Feel free to contact the Office of Student Engagement & Experiential Learning by calling 815-753-8154 or sending an email to ResearchRookies@niu.edu with any inquiries you may have.
