As an undergraduate student, you can participate in research and benefit greatly from this. It strengthens your resumé, gives you a better idea what is involved in conducting research and/or whether you are interested in a specific field, provides experience that you can build on when conducting more research later on in life (e.g. in graduate school), can give you academic credit towards graduation, and can give you some extra income. Conducting research as an undergraduate student may even lead to you being a co-author on a publication in a scientific journal or co-authorship in a presentation at a scientific meeting.

Undergraduate research in my laboratory can consist of work in "the field" (likely to be in an aquatic environment though - be it a beach, marsh or stream), in the laboratory, or be a combination of field and lab work.

There are various options for research participation by undergraduate students:

• INDIVIDUAL PROJECT (BIOL 410). "Collaboration with a faculty member on a biological research project. Prior to registering, the student must find a faculty member willing to collaborate on a research project. Prerequisites: Junior standing and fourteen credits of biology. 1-6 credits". The amount of time you are expected to devote to the research project depends on the number of credits (my rule of thumb: 2 hours / week / credit).  The subject you will work on will be determined in initial consultation between the student and the instructor, and will normally related to some of the other projects going on in instructor's laboratory. In the recent past, students' projects have also included projects that outside groups have expressed interest in being conducted - such as monitoring of heavy metal levels in sediments and fish of the Vermilion River in Lafayette. See also my other web pages (publications, ongoing research, previous research) for other ideas of research.
• RESOURCE BIOLOGY INTERNSHIP (BIOL 417). "Structured participation in professional work experience in the biological sciences. Restrictions: Biology majors only, junior standing. 1-3 credits".
  
• Undergraduate Research Assistantship. At times I have funds available on research grants to hire one or more students for working as a research assistant. You obtain research experience while earning some money (but no academic credit).