Research Takes Center Stage

On a rocky beach tucked away in a crook of the Puget Sound near Shelton, Wash., Chloe Bettelon, ‘28, came face to face with a juvenile broadnose sevengill shark, taking measurements and samples before releasing it back into the water.

It was the first time the marine and conservation biology major got to experience field research, joining with fellow student researchers and Thomas K. Pool, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Biology. The research team were learning about live marine animals up close—in this case, it’s one of the sharks that cruise the briny depths of the Salish Sea, the notorynchus cepedianus.

After graduation Bettelon intends to become a necropsy technician for marine mammals and especially values the chance to learn about how research is conducted.

“It really gave me an idea of what it'll be like to work with peers or people who are in the same field as me,” says Bettelon. “It made me realize how interconnected these fields can be.”

Bettelon and her colleagues, along with students who worked on 32 other projects, will present their research Oct. 23 at the annual College of Science and Engineering’s STEM Research Showcase. The event highlights the work of summer research projects by SU students and faculty in science, mathematics, engineering and computer science.

In fact, it was at last year’s showcase that Bettelon learned about the shark research project, a collaboration with the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State University.

That’s because the STEM Research Showcase serves to expose students interested in summer research to the breadth of projects at just the right time: before the start of winter quarter, when students and faculty connect and begin preparations for the summer, says Associate Biology Professor Stephen Luckey, PhD, who is also Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs.

Since the projects happen over the summer, students have the chance to focus on one subject.

“It's a little bit more relaxed in a sense,” says Dr. Luckey. “Most students probably aren't taking classes, so they really can dig deep into the topic that they're researching.”

Other than preparation for the workforce or graduate school—plus most students are paid for their time on the projects—a valuable outcome of undergraduate research is the relationships students form working with faculty.

“That relationship often stays with you for the rest of your professional life,” says Dr. Luckey. “I still talk to the professor that I did research with as an undergrad back in the ‘90s.”

One goal for researchers is to publish their results or present them at a professional conference, like Duy Nguyen, ‘27, who is working toward his Master of Science in Data Science. With the mentorship of Assistant Mathematics Professor Wenjing Yang, Nguyen worked on developing a protocol to test AI systems that draft mammography reports for radiologists to review. Their paper was accepted for publication and an oral presentation in January at the Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing in Hawaii.

Although attending the showcase allows students to peruse the types of research projects available, Nguyen demonstrates students can take a more direct approach. After taking Dr. Yang’s class in statistical machine learning, he approached her with his interest in learning what it takes to be a researcher.

Says Nguyen, “Throughout the project, Dr. Yang’s guidance showed me what it's like to be a researcher, but what I got out of it the most, that’s going to be helpful for finding a job, is that I was becoming a better data scientist.”

The Seattle University College of Science & Engineering STEM Research Showcase will be held 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, October 23, in the Bannan Building Arboretum.