Benedictine University
Lisle, IL
Excellence in Science
Hands-on experience through Benedictine University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program generates high success rates.
The study of science is central to the Benedictine University mission.
A recent National Endowment for the Humanities study ranked Benedictine University first in Illinois and 29th nationally for the rate its graduates go on to earn doctoral degrees in all fields of the sciences.
Ninety percent of the students who participate in Benedictine University’s College of Science summer undergraduate research program go on to pursue doctoral degrees. Seventy-five percent of Benedictine graduates in biochemistry and molecular biology go on to doctoral programs.
Benedictine University graduates can be found doing research at such prominent institutions as Case Western, the University of Chicago, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, the University of Illinois, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Yale.
“Our students learn by hands-on experience, either through internships, practica or research,” said Donald Taylor, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Science at Benedictine University. “We place a heavy emphasis on laboratory work. That puts our students ahead of the curve if they decide to pursue post-undergraduate degrees.”
The College of Science at Benedictine University also employs 30 full-time science faculty, many of whom maintain appointments at some of the nation’s leading research facilities. Those affiliations provide students with unparalleled research opportunities.
“Approximately 25 percent of our full-time science faculty conduct research at a national laboratory, either Argonne, Fermilab or Oak Ridge,” Taylor said. “That is very unusual for the faculty of a predominately teaching institution.”
Benedictine University faculty are reputed for their quality instruction and careful mentoring. The University also provides access to other experts in the science community through its affiliation with the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (A.C.C.A.), a consortium of 15 private liberal arts colleges that promotes cooperation in education and training in the sciences.
Funding for research and facilities at Benedictine University comes from sources such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), the U.S Department of Energy (D.O.E.). and the National Science Foundation (N.S.F.). Benedictine has enjoyed the longest continuous funding from HHMI of any undergraduate institution in Illinois.
“Our reputation reaches a long way,” Taylor said.
Check out students’ research with very brief descriptions
Original link: http://www.ben.edu/programs/science/news_article.asp?id=1605
MY FILES
VIEW COLLEGE PROFILE
