Lab life: A look inside undergraduate research

For undergraduates at UW–Madison studying the agricultural and life sciences — genetics, biology, food science and biochemistry, among others — working in a laboratory is a rite of passage.

Starting at the bottom of the scientific food chain, young researchers find that life as scientists can be tedious, time-consuming and frustrating — but also incredibly rewarding. For those undergrads working double-duty as researchers and students, the laboratory becomes a place of self-discovery and opportunity well worth the effort.

But before any budding James Thomson even enters the lab, they first have to decide they want to study science. Prior to college, UW–Madison food science major Laura Shumow considered studying art and the humanities before falling for science in a high school botany course. Senior Peter Weber also studies food science, but like many undergraduates, was racked by indecision before finding a fitting major.

“I came to college not knowing what I wanted to do. I changed majors almost 10 times in my first two years of school,” says Weber. He tried English, anthropology, psychology, mathematics, geography and cartography. It was his job as a saucier, or sauce cook, at Madison’s Italian restaurant Tutto Pasta that finally made him choose food science.

For bacteriology major Paul Gleisten, hands-on research made his decision easy. “I switched from biology to bacteriology after working in the lab as an hourly. After seeing what people have done and starting my first research project, I immediately switched over. I haven’t looked back since,” says Gleisten.

Undergraduates studying agricultural and life sciences absorb challenging material — organic chemistry, genetics and physics rarely come easy — to prepare them for medicine, research and other career tracks. But according to Gary Roberts, a professor of bacteriology, this is only half of the equation. “Science is not what you do in classes; science is what you do with your hands,” says Roberts. “If kids just sit in classes, they’re not going to learn to do science. If they show some motivation and become part of this massive research operation, that’s going to make them understand science and know if they like it.”

Fortunately, Roberts says, all it takes to begin working in a lab is initiative. One common path to a research position is in the sink — hourly dishwashing jobs got both Weber and Gleisten into their respective labs. Shumow asked the professor of her introductory food science course, Rich Hartel, if there were any openings in his lab. A few weeks later, she began research on the crystallization patterns of ice cream in Hartel’s lab.

In her work with Hartel, whom she fondly dubs the “candy man,” Shumow found a great mentor. Similarly, Weber cites the graduate students he has worked with as important influences.

Opportunities abound after working in a laboratory. Gleisten’s dishwashing led to an invitation from lab mate and bacteriology graduate student Shondelle Wilson to a summer research project on bacterial metabolism. Eventually, Wilson would edit and walk Gleisten through the finer points of scientific writing and poster and figure creation. In early September, their work was presented at the Kenneth B. Raper symposium, a conference highlighting UW–Madison’s contributions to microbiology. Gleisten was one of only two undergrads participating at the symposium.

Shumow’s research on cocoa powder landed her the summer internship she wanted most: an industry job working at a chocolate factory in the Netherlands. “My background in the lab was very, very good in preparing me for that internship,” she says.

For Weber, his research at Babcock resulted in an offer for a graduate school position at UW–Madison, a year before he completes his undergraduate degree.

Despite all of the benefits inherent to lab work, it is not for everyone. Roberts says that common laboratory techniques may be interesting the first time around, but any technique becomes tedious with time. At that point, Roberts says, the ability to remain thorough is critical for would-be scientists. “Do they have the ability to be anal and careful for something that is, on a local level, staggeringly boring? Can you suck it up and do that because you care about the results?” he asks.

Roberts asserts that plenty of undergraduates do not find the lab appealing after their research experience. This is nothing to be ashamed of — it is one of the most important lessons an undergraduate science major can glean from their time in a lab. “The most fundamental thing students learn is whether or not they like the [scientific] process,” says Roberts.

For those who enjoy research, the lessons are just as vital. Shumow says she learned the most from a failed experiment in the lab, finding what mistakes to avoid in the future.

Roberts says this is not uncommon. “Probably 90 percent of the experiments you do don’t work. You’ve got to find out if you mind that,” he says. “Are the exceptional times when something works cool enough for all the times they don’t work?”

For Weber, lab research taught him the virtues of planning and responsibility, instilling in him a love of working within a community of scientists.

“It was an absolutely amazing opportunity,” says Weber. “I don’t think I’d be nearly as successful at the things I do outside of school if it wasn’t for my lab experience.”

Weber does not plan to spend a lifetime doing research science, but says his lab work was an asset from an entrepreneurial standpoint. Weber is the owner and creator of Potter’s Fine Foods, the only cracker producer in Wisconsin and the first organic cracker factory in the Midwest.

Weber believes that his lab experience was an indispensable part of his undergraduate education. “I’m paying $3,000 a semester to hang out with some really smart guy, and hopefully that rubs off on me. That’s why I’m paying to go to this university; to be that close to a professor that’s the smartest person in their field,” he says.

Roberts emphasizes that students need to take advantage of all of the opportunities available to science majors on campus.

“Show some initiative and go do it. If you just sit on your hands, yeah, you’ll get a degree, but that’s not the interesting part,” says Roberts. “You want to set yourself up for where you want to go with your life.”