During the following academic year, the students continue their work as independent research projects or senior honors theses at their home institutions under the guidance of an on-campus sponsor . The research group continues to communicate through e-mail and may come together for an academic year workshop. The student project culminates in a paper evaluated for credit at the home institution, an oral or poster presentation at the research symposium in April, and an extended abstract published in the symposium volume. Many of students also present their work at regional or national professional meetings. Projects begin with an introduction to the overall problem and its significance.
Students then work in teams to design a smaller research project.
Each team collects and synthesizes data for approximately four weeks. The students and faculty spend the final one to two weeks writing and illustrating reports on their team's research. Each team also writes an extended abstract for inclusion in the symposium volume and presents its results in poster form at the research symposium in April. All students will be expected to present the results of their research at the annual Keck Research Symposium which will be held in April 2002. Full expenses will be covered for attending the symposium.