Undergraduate Research
For those in science majors, undergraduate research is an invaluable way to learn how experiments are set up and run in a real-world setting. Not only will you augment your degree with practical, hands-on science, but these experiences can set you apart from the others upon graduation for graduate school or employment.
The goal is for students to gain actual experiences of what research is like. Sometimes, this isn’t glamorous both in collection and analysis. Undergraduate researchers may be out in the field risking insect bites, thorns, poison ivy, or sweating in the sun. Students may work long hours in the lab, getting manure on their hands or working with maggots. Students may not get a perfect dataset ready for analysis, and you may need to work through how to handle setbacks. Many will thrive in the research experience, and others will realize research isn’t for them. However, although students may come to the lab with a background in human or veterinary medicine, nursing, infectious diseases, parasitology, animal science, wildlife, forestry, or any of the other fields that intersect with the focus of the Veterinary Entomology Laboratory, students will be able to see the connection to animal and human health.
There are many opportunities available for undergraduate research experiences.
Summer employment
We are excited to announce the opportunity to participate in the summer 2025 VectorED Network internship, designed to train students in vector biology across various disciplines related to vectors and vector-borne diseases. This internship aims to develop a comprehensive skill set among students, promote health equity, enhance critical thinking skills, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Additionally, the program focuses on leadership development, community engagement, and preparing students for effective disease outbreak response.
Research
Positions will begin right after graduation in May. Students will be Penn State employees and be compensated at $15/hr. Students will assist with several summer projects, including:
Evaluation of tick tubes for tick management, which includes field work like tick sampling and rodent trapping, processing rodents for tissue and blood samples.
Evaluation of ectoparasites of groundhogs, which includes fieldwork to trap groundhogs and remove ectoparasites, necropsies on animals, and potential evaluation of microbiome samples.
Evaluation of new methods to collect ectoparasites (like fleas and ticks) using pitfall traps.
Understanding how white-tailed deer respond to tick infestation. This involves working with the Penn State deer herd.
We also may have some laboratory experiments that students will assist with, as well as data management, maintenance of the lab and facilities, etc.
Training
During the summer, students will complete an 8-week training (Student Training Network, STN) program in vectors (focusing on mosquitoes and ticks) and vector-borne diseases. Students will learn vector biology and management methods in this training and gain health equity and communication skills. Students will participate in weekly meetings (online) with other members of the STN from Ohio State, University of Pittsburgh, University of Tennessee, West Virginia Wesleyan College, and the University of Delaware and learn about career opportunities, different career paths, new skills, and network with other professionals and students.
After the course, students will earn micro-credentials for their resume, making them more competitive professionally including:
Earn a certificate from the VectorED Network
Earn a certificate in tick or mosquito biology and control
Earn a certificate in health equity.
In addition, students will be able to develop an educational publication that will be published through Penn State Extension.
Requirements/Expectations/Information
Students should be available immediately following the spring semester until the beginning of the fall semester.
Students must be available for the summer. Our trapping and sampling period is heaviest from mid-May through the middle of June and the end of July through the beginning of August. We may be able to work around some planned holidays on a case-by-case basis.
Students are expected to work full-time (40 hours/week) throughout the summer and not split time with other professional commitments.
Students must be willing to tolerate... Interesting situations. Rodents, ticks, blood, tissue, euthanasia of animals, heavy lifting (50 lbs), rugged terrain, hot or wet conditions, etc. Typical fieldwork!
Students must be able to work early mornings and/or evenings (trapping rodents is overnight, so we set traps late and get up early) and may need to be available on weekends if the weather is not helpful! (i.e., if it rains Monday-Wednesday, we may need to trap Thursday-Saturday instead of Monday-Wednesday).
We are working with animals, so students must be reliable and responsible, and be able to maintain professional and ethical standards.
Students must have a valid driver's license.
Overall, we are looking for dedicated students who don't mind a bit of organized chaos and can work in a great team to get some fun fieldwork done this year! If you are committed and willing to show up when you say, we can teach you the rest!
If you are interested, please send a current CV/Resume and a statement of career goals to etm10@psu.edu
Honors Thesis
You can develop an independent study thesis as part of the Schreyer Honors College. To schedule Honors Independent Study or Research, you must:
Secure an eligible faculty member to supervise your work.
Register for academic credit using course numbers for Research (294H or 494H), Independent Study (296H or 496H), or other (department-specific) course numbers.
I encourage you to think about this well in advance as projects (especially those that are field-based or work with vertebrate animals) can take some time to develop, fund, and execute.
Course credit
Independent study is offered through Entomology (ENT 496). It is designed for students to undertake creative projects, including design projects or research papers, on topics not already covered in standard courses. Often, this is working with a graduate student or post-doctoral scholar on projects ongoing in the laboratory.
Volunteer opportunities
Dr. Machtinger prefers to provide compensation by course credit or with a wage position. Occasionally, volunteers can work in the laboratory if these positions are not available, and the interests and benefits of the students can be communicated. However, these are exceptional circumstances.
Expectations
I do not expect undergraduates to have prior research experience, and I do not expect the next Nobel prize winner! However, I do expect you to show up when you say you will and come in with genuine curiosity and a strong work ethic. Other benefits besides course credit or wages include genuine research experience, new skills and knowledge, letters of reference, and potential authorship on manuscripts.
1) genuine enthusiasm for the work that we do in the lab (or to learn about what we do in the lab),
2) commitment to at least 10 hours a week,
3) ability to work with others and alone,
4) willingness to work with insects like bed bugs, flies, and ticks,
5) responsible and hard-working.
Ready to commit?
Check out https://agsci.psu.edu/students/research. The College of Agriculture has research funding for undergraduates each semester. These require some planning, so think ahead!
Send me an email! Make sure you include:
Your current CV or resume,
course load and availability,
what projects you would like to be involved in,
and what your career goals are.
Take a look at some of our lab experiences!
