Learn by Doing

Student research is a vital part of the undergraduate experience at Ithaca College. Ithaca College Chemistry & Biochemistry majors learn through hands-on laboratory experiences and their research project in a faculty member’s lab. During your degree, you'll have multiple opportunities to learn how to do science and have access to all the modern instrumentation to make your own meaningful contribution to the field.

Interested in fall 2026 research?

  • CHEM 48600 – required research for Chemistry Majors
  • BIOC 39000 – required research for Biochemistry Majors*
    * Biochemistry majors can do their research with either Chemistry faculty OR Biology faculty
  • CHEM 29000 – new or returning research students
  • BIOC 29000 – new or returning research students 

Procedures are available here:

Complete the following steps--Interest surveys MUST be submitted by Friday, March 6th:

CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY STUDENTS:

1. March 2-6: Students must submit the General Interest Survey. Faculty will reach out
to you to set up individual meetings starting March 9th.
2. March 9-27: Meet with faculty to learn about potential lab openings.
3. March 30: You will receive a link (via email) to a survey on your lab preferences. To
be placed in a lab, you MUST submit this 2nd survey by April 1st.
4. Beginning April 3rd: Lab placement announcements will be sent out.

Max Klemes at the schlenk line

One thing that really helped me build my confidence and was highly sought after when I started entering the workforce, looking for jobs and graduate school and all that, is the real hands-on experience that I got in the lab.

Matt Chiriboga ('17)

Frequently Asked Questions

To get involved in research, talk to faculty, advisors, other students about the work they are doing!

You can go to faculty webpages to sample the possible range of projects. In addition, the Chemistry department will regularly host mixers so that you can chat with multiple faculty members. 

You can start as soon as your first year! Your faculty mentor and other students in the lab will train you in what you need to know to progress in your project. 

Many students stick with one research lab, but many students switch depending on their interests. This is your time to explore and all of your faculty support that. 

This is not a requirement. Building a good research project with strong questions and experiments is something that you can do with your mentor. 

If you have an idea though, absolutely start talking about those interests to see if we have a good match. 

Students will be required to select and participate in one research project by the end of their four years. All of the science programs across IC agree (strongly) that hands-on experience asking and answering big, new questions is the best training in the field no matter where you are headed afterwards.

research-survey-fall-2026-due-march-6.pdf - research-survey-fall-2026-due-march-6 (pdf)