2013 Research in Review: Student-Faculty Publications
![Amy Upperman W&M ’13 measures the carapace of a Diamondback Terrapin.](../../biology/images/news_images/AmyUppermanWM13.jpg)
One measure of the quality of student research is whether that research gets published in peer-reviewed journals. In this regard, 2013 was another banner year for student-faculty research. The biology faculty’s 48 papers published or in press in refereed journals this past year included 46 different undergraduate and graduate student co-authors. For 15 of those papers, an undergraduate student was the lead author, with a graduate student the lead on another 10 papers. In total, undergraduate students were authors on 18 papers, whereas graduate students were authors on 11 papers.
Biology Department Chair Liz Allison describes the student-faculty research dynamic: “This is not about students doing menial lab chores for a professor. We’re talking about serious, original, hands-on research where students and faculty work together on projects that inspire them – and then share their important, novel discoveries with the scientific community. The quality – and quantity – of peer-reviewed publications with student co-authors illustrates our commitment to faculty-student engagement outside the classroom. Biology faculty are dedicated teacher-scholars, blending a passion for teaching and mentoring with excellence in research.”
Research articles from 2013 are being published in 41 different journals ranging from A (Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology) to Z (Zoology), and on subjects that span the diverse spectrum of research in biology at the College of William and Mary. Stay tuned for more in 2014!