It's not just faculty who get to experience the excitement of doing research. Many labs hire students to help on research projects. The program allows undergraduates to link their research interests with faculty mentors and carry out projects together.
Students also participate in the research endeavor in their classes.
The students working together in instructor John Wright's chemistry lab, for example, dispel the myth that research and teaching are like oil and water. When students ponder, good things happen in the lab of plant pathologist Jo Handelsman, where undergraduates have often made surprising discoveries. They prove that a catalytic solution can fizz up when faculty mix students with research. Wright , professor of chemistry and highly successful researcher, has developed an innovative way to involve students in what he calls active learning. He did it because he was frustrated that students could answer his test questions, but they couldn't apply that information in other scientific contexts.