The Importance of Undergraduate Research

1017 Words3 Pages

“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people (Pantana 237),” the words from Will Rogers, one of the world’s best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s, popped up in my mind once I received an invitation to become a member of Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society or also known as Tri-Beta Society. As a new person in research field who thirst for knowledge and experience, this window of opportunity overwhelmed me with queries regarding its benefits and effectiveness to the members of society. Fundamentally, the Tri-Beta society functions as an honor and professional society for students of the biological sciences particularly for undergraduate students who academically outstanding and who indicate special skill and major interest in the fields. Although the Tri-Beta Society is doing very well in providing the occasion for students and faculty to meet and discuss regarding scientific research, but it needs to further develop in offering the students the opportunity to have hands-on research experiences rather than just sitting and listening to other researchers.

Jacqueline Kincart, the president of the Tri-beta Biological Honor Society says, “By conveying a perfect mission to encourage excellence in research and scholarship, this Tri-Beta society is dedicated to improve the understanding and appreciation of biological study and extending the boundaries of human knowledge through scientific research” (2014). In order to accomplish its mission, the activities conducted by this society are basically designed to stimulate interest, scholarly attainment, and to promote the dissemination of information and new interpretations among students of the life sciences. The Tri-Beta Society is recognized by its effort in organizing three meetings per semester in order to allow the members to hear the presentations from outstanding professors and graduate investigators that have been selected by the executive board regarding their scientific research. The society's members benefit from this activity because Tri-Beta provides a medium of networking for peers and professors in research to interact and discuss the latest research issues.

One of the Tri-Beta society’s goals which is providing a means of networking to those in the biological sciences, apparently have been successfully accomplished every semester, but the other goal of the society which is providing the members of society the opportunity to publish their research is left far behind. This problem is due to the shortage of opportunity for the members to involve and to have hands-on experience in research.

Open Document