Research
A majority (~65%) of students will engage in some form of research during their time at TAMS. Below is general information on research as a TAMS student.
Seeking Research Mentors[edit | edit source]
Pair-Up[edit | edit source]
The "pairing up" process can be bidirectional.
Students Seeking Mentors[edit | edit source]
Historically the standard practice, students email professors for potential research opportunities. Several things to note:
- Do write an email with good etiquette, clear points, and a mention (maybe a question) of a piece of the mentor's research that interests you.
- Be sure to read through at least a few of the professor's papers. You don't have to understand everything—in fact, a great way to demonstrate your curiosity is to ask the professor in the email itself. For instance, "I don't quite understand ___, but I would like to get to know more about it. Is there a way we can set up a meeting to discuss ___?" Another option is to ask your senior(s) that are in the professor's lab. Chances are, they'll have a good grasp on what's going on in their research.
- Writing about how you got interested in the professor's field can also be a great selling point in your email.
- Do NOT send too many emails. Dr. James Duban, Associate Dean for Research and National Scholarships, recommends that each email sent be waited for 3 business days for reply.
Mentors Seeking Students[edit | edit source]
This is made possible primarily through the newly introduced effort by the TAMS Research Organization. A page is maintained where students can submit a brief form on research interests, and where professors interested in mentoring students may seek those whom they are interested in on a PDF file organized by TAMS staff from the forms students submit. Furthermore, RO hosts a research symposium towards the start of the school year for students to connect to mentors. An advantage of getting research through mentors seeking students is that students do not have to have a prior understanding of a professor's research to join their lab (primarily for disciplines that are difficult to understand).
Further Discussions[edit | edit source]
After the professor expresses interest, some form of meeting (Zoom or in-person, depending on time) will be scheduled. If an agreement to research under the professor's mentorship is reached, congratulations, you have gotten yourself onboard!
Resources[edit | edit source]
If you want a list of all professors in their respective fields, go to UNT's Faculty Info website: https://facultyinfo.unt.edu/?query=&type=department, and search by department. You can then search the professor(s)'s ResearchGate profile or Google Scholar page to gather information about their research.
Normal Expectation of Research[edit | edit source]
On average, approximately 6-10 hours of work is expected per week during school weeks, but more or less may be possible depending on professors.
Summer Research[edit | edit source]
Each year, depending on fund availability, a select amount of current TAMS juniors (occasionally graduating seniors as well) receive a scholarship to conduct a 10-week research with a research mentor; this is known as "Summer Research".
Participants for past summer researches:
Early Summer Research[edit | edit source]
In addition, a small amount of incoming TAMS students also receive scholarship to conduct research, alongside "Summer Research" students; they are known as "Early Summer Research" students. Under the regulation of a comprehensive "contract", students live in McConnell Hall and participate in research activities full-time.
UNT Undergraduate Research Fellowship[edit | edit source]
The UNT Undergraduate Research Fellowship is an opportunity for students to present research conducted with a UNT faculty mentor. The fellowships are valued at $500 each, and 250 are distributed each year.
Notable Professors in TAMS Research[edit | edit source]
A table of notable faculty members in UNT who has regularly mentored TAMS students or have in other ways significantly influenced TAMS research is available. As stated, please do not send multiple emails in a row.
| College of | Department of | Name |
|---|---|---|
| Science | Chemistry | William E. Acree |
| Science | Chemistry | Thomas R. Cundari |
| Science | Biological Sciences (Neuroscience) | Jannon Fuchs |
| Science | Math | Lior Fishman |
| Science | Physics | José Perez |
| Engineering | Computer Science and Engineering | Rodney Nielsen |
| Engineering | Computer Science and Engineering | Nagendra Gulur |
| Engineering | Computer Science and Engineering | Krishna Kavi |
| Engineering | Computer Science and Engineering | Mark Thompson |
| Engineering | Computer Science and Engineering | Mark V. Albert |
Research Labs[edit | edit source]
A collection of research labs one might be interested in. Looking into labs can supplement your search for research, as professors work in tandem with their labs to conduct research, and labs often provide more context into the specific projects a professor and their student(s) are working on.
Research Electives[edit | edit source]
See Courses for further information. These are used to show that you do research on your transcript.
Potential Outputs of Research[edit | edit source]
The Honors College holds Scholar Days every year to celebrate works of undergraduate research. Students may participate with "research and creative activity conducted under the guidance of a faculty mentor at UNT". If you are accepted for the Undergraduate Research Fellowship in your junior year, you're required to submit "poster presentations, papers, or brief performing-arts productions" during the Scholars Day of your senior year, as part of the fellowship commitment.
Certain UNT colleges hold symposiums, specific to topics associated to the college, in addition to UNT journals and conferences. An example of UNT journals includes the North Texas Journal of Undergraduate Research, a yearly publication for interdisciplinary undergraduate research.
There are, of course, external journals and conferences; such works will depend far more on the discipline of research and faculty preference. Should the faculty have reasons to believe that you have made adequate contributions to a paper, project or other products of mentorship (again, the definition of "adequate" here depends on faculty), co-authorship status may be granted.