Research

Olin College is a student-centered environment and encourages appropriate new and continuing research, innovation in engineering education, multidisciplinary initiatives, entrepreneurship and other forms intellectual vitality to enrich the experiences of our students.

Research, Independent Study and Passionate Pursuits

Research has been divided into two categories, Research F, faculty initiated and Research S, student initiated. All research that involves undergraduates should have as its main goal furthering the education of the student participating in the research, i.e., there should be intellectual content that is equal to, but does not vastly exceed, the educational level of the undergraduate. Credits for all Research F and Research S activities will appear on student transcripts but are not going to be counted toward a degree program.

Research F :

Research projects are proposed and supervised by Olin faculty members who define projects and foster the discovery process for the students. The research may involve discovering something previously unknown or it may involve the gathering and/or reformulation of information.

For example, Dr. Debbie Chachra might write up a research description for a project that she would like to have Olin students involved in. She would submit the proposal to the ISURB who would review the proposal, determine the appropriateness for ISURB activities and then post the description so that the Olin student community could consider it. An Olin student reads the description and then discusses the project with Dr. Chachra. The student fills out the application form, confers with Dr. Chachra about budget and other related matters (e.g. amount of time per week spent on the project), attaches the research description and submits the proposal to ISURB once signatures of approval are given by the academic advisor and Dr. Chachra.

Research S :

An Olin student designs a research project that will be supervised by an Olin faculty member. Like Research F, the research may involve discovering something previously unknown or it may involve the gathering and/or reformulation of information.

For example, an Olin student has been working on a research project with Dr. Joanne Pratt in biology for several years. The student has become intrigued with a new finding and has some ideas for further research along a different path than Dr. Pratt’s research direction. The student proposes the idea for a project and outlines the experiments to Dr. Pratt who then agrees to supervise the research. The student prepares an ISURB application, which includes a budget, Dr. Pratt and the student’s advisor approve the application with their signatures and the student submits the application to the ISURB for evaluation.

Independent Study

This is a scholarly inquiry initiated by an Olin student and supervised by an Olin faculty member. The student and Olin faculty member would meet on a regular basis to discuss the coursework. A student who has scheduling or other issues with an Olin course, or one that is offered elsewhere, cannot undertake such a course as an Independent Study.

For example, an Olin student might have taken a history of technology course from Dr. Rob Martello and become inspired to study one aspect that was raised in the course in much greater detail and depth. The student would meet with Dr. Martello to discuss the idea of an Independent Study and, in consultation with Dr. Martello, develop a course plan that would meet with Dr. Martello’s approval. The proposal would be approved with the signatures of student’s advisor and Dr. Martello. The application would then be submitted to ISURB for evaluation.

Passionate Pursuits

A Passionate Pursuit activity can be undertaken with credits but not counted toward a degree program. The motivation for a Passionate Pursuit is expected to come almost entirely as an outgrowth of a student’s prior interest in an activity, which may not necessarily have a strong academic component. Passionate pursuits may comprise a very large range of activities and it is expected that passionate pursuits will not, in most cases, rely on faculty supervision or guidance for a successful outcome.

The Passionate Pursuits program is administered by the Office of Student Life and the forms are located on the StAR Center website.