Honors in Research

Students should apply for various student research opportunities available within the UAMS College of Pharmacy. On-going research opportunities include the A. Nelson Voldeng Fellowship, the Pharmaceutical Sciences Student Research Fellowship, the Pharmacy Practice Student Research Fellowship, work study, support through extramural grants, special studies, or other opportunities as they arise. Stipend support is available through some of these programs.

There are no restrictions on the type of project that may be undertaken by the student. The only requirement is that each project be original research initiated by either the faculty or student. In those cases where a student participates in an ongoing research project, he/she must assume responsibility for carrying out the portion to which he/she is assigned. Preferably, the project would be initiated in the continuous 10-week period usually during the summer months; however, work on the project may continue throughout the school year.

Faculty mentors for students in the Honors in Research Program must provide the research space and supplies necessary for the student’s research project.

Research Time Requirement

For completion of the Honors in Research Program, the student must participate in a minimum of ten weeks of full-time intensive research. Although a minimum of 10 weeks of research is required, most research projects will require additional time spent in further data collection, data analysis, and preparation of the manuscript. Therefore, the total time spent in the Honors Research Program may vary depending upon the specific project.

Presentation of Research Findings

Students are required to publicly present the results of the research project. Although presentation at a national meeting is preferred, students may also present their results at local meetings (e.g. UAMS Student Research Day) or regional meetings (e.g. regional scientific society meetings, regional pharmacy meetings, etc). Presentation of results usually requires oral or poster presentations. Students must notify the Pharmacy Student Research Committee of their completion of this obligation by submitting the abstract for the meeting as well as meeting location, dates and any awards received.

Research Manuscript

No later than Jan. 31 of the senior year, students participating in the Honors in Research Program must submit to the Pharmacy Student Research Committee a research manuscript written using author guidelines from a peer-reviewed journal. In general, the manuscript must describe the background and rationale for the project, detailed description of the methods utilized in the research, summary of the results including figures and tables where appropriate, and conclusions from the project. Students are expected to receive general guidance on preparation of a primary research manuscript from their faculty mentors, but are expected to write the manuscript themselves. Following submission of the manuscript to the Pharmacy Student Research Committee, the student may receive comments or questions from the committee that must be adequately addressed prior to completion of the program.

Letter of recommendation from research mentor

This should verify that the student has met the requirements of the Honors in Research Program (spent the equivalent of 10 weeks of full-time research effort, presented the research findings, and written a research report as described above) and put forth a commendable effort. This should be submitted to the Student Research Committee along with the research report and details of the presentation of study findings.