CUREs

Noah Butler Tu Th 1:00pm - 2:15pm

This course is designed to offer an introduction to qualitative methods in anthropology. Students will learn methodologies such as participant observation, interviewing, and document analysis, and we will also address ethical issues in field research. Students will design and carry out an ethnographic research project. Instructor permission required.

Catherine Nichols Mo We Fri 1:40pm - 2:30pm

Museum and Material Culture Research invites students to learn and practice a variety of anthropological research methods with objects and archives in the May Weber Ethnographic Study Collection, located in Mundelein Center. Each student contributes to the Collection’s ongoing curation by producing an in-depth research report for an object, which is added to the Collection’s permanent documentation files. Students are encouraged to present their research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. This is an Engaged Learning (Undergraduate Research) and Writing Intensive course.

Emma Feeney Mo 11:30am - 2:15pm

This course introduces students to techniques commonly used to address questions of cellular physiology from a biochemical perspective.  Our class is part of a national network of undergraduate labs participating in a research project headed by the Seigel lab at University of California – Davis called Design to Data (D2D).  The “big picture” goal of this project is to generate a dataset that will be used to train artificial intelligence algorithms to make protein function predictions based on amino acid sequence and/or protein structure.

You will be working on a semester-long primary research project where you will be generating mutant enzymes, characterizing their function, and uploading your data to a national database.  Over the course of this project, we will discuss specific laboratory methods and the types of data collected by each, along with learning how to calculate useful results from the data and to interpret the results with reference to molecular models and mechanisms.  Finally, you will learn how to communicate novel research data in either written and oral formats.  Laboratory techniques used in the lab are commonly used in a variety of research fields (medical, pharmaceutical, etc.). 

Emma Feeney Mo 2:45pm - 5:30pm (02E)

This course introduces students to techniques commonly used to address questions of cellular physiology from a biochemical perspective.  Our class is part of a national network of undergraduate labs participating in a research project headed by the Seigel lab at University of California – Davis called Design to Data (D2D).  The “big picture” goal of this project is to generate a dataset that will be used to train artificial intelligence algorithms to make protein function predictions based on amino acid sequence and/or protein structure.

You will be working on a semester-long primary research project where you will be generating mutant enzymes, characterizing their function, and uploading your data to a national database.  Over the course of this project, we will discuss specific laboratory methods and the types of data collected by each, along with learning how to calculate useful results from the data and to interpret the results with reference to molecular models and mechanisms.  Finally, you will learn how to communicate novel research data in either written and oral formats.  Laboratory techniques used in the lab are commonly used in a variety of research fields (medical, pharmaceutical, etc.). 

Hui Ye, Mo We 12:35pm - 3:35pm

How does the nervous system organize and function in order to control animal behaviors such as locomotion, escaping and feeding? What are the ionic bases that control the single neuron’s excitability? How can one control neural activity by electric and magnetic stimulation? As a senior level neuroscience lab class, BIOL 373 provides a unique training opportunity to students to learn various techniques in the field of cellular neurobiology. Students will gain hands-on experience in biomedical instrumentation, signal processing, micro dissection of nervous system, extracellular and intracellular recording techniques from nerves, axons, and single neurons. Students will also be trained to simulate neural activity using the computational neuroscience platforms such as Neurons in Actions (NIA) and NEURON.

To appreciate the complexity of neural control of animal behavior, the model system Aplysia californica will be used for the study. Scientific publications related to the class will be introduced in the class. In the 2^nd half of the semester, students will  work in the lab to acquire data, and generate final research papers.

Emma Feeney, Mo We 8:15am - 11:00am

This course is an intensive laboratory course in the basic principles and techniques of molecular biology, including bacterial cloning, polymerase chain reaction, restriction mapping, agarose gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing.     

The goal of this intensive laboratory course is to introduce you to the basic principles and techniques of molecular biology. During the first half of the semester, you will be introduced to and learn the basic techniques of molecular biology including bacterial cloning, polymerase chain reaction, restriction mapping, agarose gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing.  In the second half of the course, you will apply these techniques to your own independent cloning projects.  This is an Engaged Learning course, approved for the Undergraduate Research category, and thus satisfies Loyola’s Engaged Learning requirement.  This course is also Writing Intensive; thus, we will be spending considerable time learning formal science writing skills.

James Lodolce, Mo We 1:40pm - 4:25pm

This course is an intensive laboratory course in the basic principles and techniques of molecular biology, including bacterial cloning, polymerase chain reaction, restriction mapping, agarose gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing.

The goal of this intensive laboratory course is to introduce you to the basic principles and techniques of molecular biology. During the first half of the semester, you will be introduced to and learn the basic techniques of molecular biology including bacterial cloning, polymerase chain reaction, restriction mapping, agarose gel electrophoresis, and DNA sequencing.  In the second half of the course, you will apply these techniques to your own independent cloning projects.  This is an Engaged Learning course, approved for the Undergraduate Research category, and thus satisfies Loyola’s Engaged Learning requirement.  This course is also Writing Intensive; thus, we will be spending considerable time learning formal science writing skills.

Jennifer Mierisch, Mo 2:45pm - 5:30pm

Cell signaling controls many basic cellular functions from cell growth and proliferation to survival and migration. On a tissue level, cell signaling coordinates the response of the tissue to stimuli. Interestingly, the same signaling pathways are used for the same purpose across species. While many signaling pathway components are conserved, pathways do evolve over evolutionary time with some molecules lost, gained, or altered in sequence, thereby affecting their function.

Study of signaling pathways across species is critical for understanding the keys players in these pathways and how pathway structure has changed. In this course we still study gene structure and function and explore how genes have evolved across species in the context of signaling pathways. These projects are in collaboration with the Genomics Education Partnership (thegep.org). 

Alexander Kula, Tu Th 2:30pm - 3:45pm

The course explores the principles and methods of experimental evolution, examining how organisms evolve in controlled environments over time. The course will study adaptation, genetic variation, and the underlying mechanisms driving evolutionary processes.

Megan Whitney, Th 11:30am - 2:15pm

In this special topics lab, students will conduct primary research on Late Cretaceous fossils from ~66 million years ago–right before the extinction of dinosaurs. Students will work on fossils collected from southeastern Wyoming and help to identify and sort fossils from dinosaurs, mammals, amphibians, fish, lizards, sharks, crocodiles and sting rays. Students will conduct term-long research projects on reconstructing the dynamics of this paleo-community to help us better understand how ecosystems functioned leading up to the most recent mass-extinction event.

Students will present their findings at an end-of-term class symposium and have the opportunity to present their research at the Loyola Undergraduate Research Symposium. This course will give students the opportunity to work on real fossils, contribute to active research, and gain experience in the entirety of the scientific process.

Michael Grillo, We 1:40pm - 4:25pm

Mutually beneficial species interactions, termed mutualisms, are ubiquitous in nature, contributing to numerous ecological processes and playing profound roles in ecosystem functioning. A striking feature of plant-microbe mutualisms is the high degree of variation maintained for both partner choice (i.e. the symbiotic partners a plant forms associations with) and partner quality (the fitness benefits a plant receives from a particular symbiont). The mutualism between plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) and rhizobia (nitrogen-fixing bacteria) is one of the most economically and ecologically important interactions on the planet.

In this CURE students will examine symbiotic interactions between native legumes in the Chicago region and their microbial symbionts, particularly as it pertains to partner choice and partner quality. Through this experience students will gain experience with basic laboratory skills in microbiology and genetics.

Elizabeth Shermer Tu Th 2:30pm - 5:30pm

Every Spring, five Loyola students have the chance to be a part of a research seminar at the Newberry Library, located near the Water Tower Campus. Over the course of their semester at the library, students attend seminar meetings with students from DePaul, Roosevelt, and UIC. The seminar allows students to combine an intensive classroom experience with independent research carried out in the Newberry Library, one of the country's richest archives of primary source materials on history and culture. The seminar is open to qualified students in all disciplines, counts as both Writing Intensive and Engaged Learning, and culminates in a major research paper and presentation.

Physics majors enrolled in PHYS 126F work in small groups on a semester-long research project under the supervision of a faculty member. Each group proposes a research project, studies the underlying physics, designs and builds an experimental apparatus or computational framework, collects and analyzes data, then presents their results at an end-of-semester research symposium. This hands-on experience teaches students how to plan, collaborate on, and communicate scientific research – essential skills that can't be taught in the classroom. 

Each section of PHYS 126F is led by a faculty member who guides their group through the process of identifying and planning a project, and no two sections are alike. Students might develop numerical simulations of galactic dark matter halos, model and test "Chladni patterns" formed by sand on a vibrating plate, construct an acoustic levitation device, or build a cosmic ray detector. These projects may turn into long-term collaborations and have even led to peer-reviewed publications.

Sections and faculty:

David Doherty: Th 4:15pm - 6:45pm

Each January, Professors David Doherty (Political Science) and Dana Garbarski (Sociology) field a survey of Cook County residents to see how people in the area feel about matters including crime and safety, local politics, municipal services, schools, local politics, and more.

In Spring 2025, students will have an opportunity to participate in an engaged learning course focused on analyzing data from this survey. Participants will be some of the first people on earth to work with the new data and gain insights into how the local community feels about the issues of the day. Students will prepare press releases and presentations to share findings with the public, as well as produce rigorous analyses that will improve our understanding of the forces that shape people’s attitudes about local issues.

Success completing Political Numbers (PLSC 216) or SOCL 301 (or, in special cases, a comparable social science course in quantitative methods) is a pre-requisite. Instructor permission will be required to register. Learn more about the CCCS and explore data from past years here: cccs.sites.luc.edu

Maria Akchurin: Tu Th 1:00pm - 2:15pm

This engaged learning course introduces students to major qualitative methods of social inquiry. We will cover historical analysis, interviewing, and ethnographic observation, as well as discussing ethical and practical issues of field research. Students will work on a semester-long Public Sociology Interviewing Project, applying lessons from the course to study a sociological question through in-depth interviewing. We will also read recent qualitative sociological works for insight and inspiration. 

Outcomes: Students will gain understanding of important methods of data collection and analysis common in social science research. Students will gain experience using these techniques to conduct research and evaluate the research of others.

Brett Coleman: We 1:40pm - 5:15pm

The Urban Seminar (SOCL 335) is aimed at combining a study of the social, political, economic, and cultural institutions in cities (with a focus on Chicago) with hands-on research experience in projects with community organizations in seeking solutions to pressing urban issues. We pay particular attention to racial/ethnic, class, and gender inequities in urban communities.

The seminar includes reading, discussion, debate, guest speakers and other collaborative and participatory activities. Students enrolled in SOCL 335 simultaneously enroll in the Urban Research Course (URB 397) in which they work on one of several community-based research projects underway at the Center for Urban Research & Learning (CURL) or one of its partner agencies. 

Dana Garbarski, Th 4:15pm - 6:45pm

Each January, Professors David Doherty (Political Science) and Dana Garbarski (Sociology) field a survey of Cook County residents to see how people in the area feel about matters including crime and safety, local politics, municipal services, schools, local politics, and more.

In Spring 2025, students will have an opportunity to participate in an engaged learning course focused on analyzing data from this survey. Participants will be some of the first people on earth to work with the new data and gain insights into how the local community feels about the issues of the day. Students will prepare press releases and presentations to share findings with the public, as well as produce rigorous analyses that will improve our understanding of the forces that shape people’s attitudes about local issues.

Success completing Political Numbers (PLSC 216) or SOCL 301 (or, in special cases, a comparable social science course in quantitative methods) is a pre-requisite. Instructor permission will be required to register. Learn more about the CCCS and explore data from past years here: cccs.sites.luc.edu

Gregory Matthews, Tu Th 11:30am - 12:45pm

Students will work on a research project with a client acting as a consultant on the statistical and computational aspects of the project. Students are required to meet with a client, develop a strategy for addressing their problem, and present their results to the client (and their classmates).

Yarina Liston, Tu 4:15pm - 6:45pm

Note:  This course satisfies the Tier 2 Theological Core Requirement

This course is designed to give the student a solid introduction to the religions of Asia.  The base of our study will be an examination of two main regions of Asia – India and China. This will lead us into a further exploration of various topics such as the social system, ethics, the relationship between gods and people, artistic impulses and rituals.  We will focus on the historical perspective while delving into the beliefs, practices and texts associated with philosophy and literature.   The primary methods of instruction will be lecture and discussion, but the ideas will be further developed through weekly writing assignments, small group work in class, as well as an exploration of culturally related physical activities such as yoga, tai chi and meditation.  As part of the Engaged Learning Curriculum each student is required to do a semester long research project on one of Chicagoland's Asian religious places of worship.

Yarina Liston, We 4:15pm - 6:45pm

Note:  This course satisfies the Tier 2 Theological Core Requirement

This course is designed to give the student a solid introduction to the religions of Asia.  The base of our study will be an examination of two main regions of Asia – India and China. This will lead us into a further exploration of various topics such as the social system, ethics, the relationship between gods and people, artistic impulses and rituals.  We will focus on the historical perspective while delving into the beliefs, practices and texts associated with philosophy and literature.   The primary methods of instruction will be lecture and discussion, but the ideas will be further developed through weekly writing assignments, small group work in class, as well as an exploration of culturally related physical activities such as yoga, tai chi and meditation.  As part of the Engaged Learning Curriculum each student is required to do a semester long research project on one of Chicagoland's Asian religious places of worship.

Dance (DANC)

Fine Arts (FNAR)

Music (MUSC)

Theatre (THTR)