At Texas Lutheran University, any student can participate in faculty-led research. Summers take TLU students everywhere from the lab to the field—you can find them dipping into area rivers to collect samples, taking bird counts and analyzing plant diversity out in the brush, and doing experiments in the lab.

These are the kinds of hands-on experiences often reserved for graduate school, and the impact of such opportunities at the undergrad stage goes far beyond the six-weeks of summer research. Unforgettable lessons are taught and confidence and curiosity blossom.

Such experiences may be priceless—but they do come at a price. Thankfully, TLU has long been on the receiving end of generous grants from various sources, one of which is the Welch Foundation, which just awarded the university a $135,000 grant.

The Welch Foundation is one of the nation’s largest private funding sources for fundamental chemical research at universities, colleges, and other educational institutions in Texas, and since 1971, it has been helping to support scientific research at TLU.

“The grant primarily funds our students for a six-week intensive summer research program where they work one-on-one with TLU chemistry faculty on a variety of original research projects,” says chemistry department chair Dr. Alison Bray. “It helps to cover student scholarships for the summer, supplies for our work, and partially covers faculty stipends.”

Bray says that summer research opportunities are a critical piece of the TLU academic experience for chemistry and biochemistry students.

“We absolutely could not have our summer research program without the funding from Welch,” she says. Bray says that students often start the research term expecting to gain laboratory skills and participate in a project. “What they don’t expect are the ripple effects. As faculty, we have observed the rapid transformation of students through the research season.”

Once students are immersed in their research, Bray says they develop passion for the concepts they’ve previously learned in the classroom. They gain a sense of curiosity and leave the experience more prepared for advanced studies and careers in science, turning “from sideline observers to active scientists,” she explains. “The effects of a summer research program are key to developing student scientists and makes them more engaged and invested in their coursework.”

Although summer is still months away, it won’t be long before planning begins for a whole new season of learning, made possible by the Welch Foundation.