Upper Division Honors

Student Profiles

Oliver C. Loson

Where you involved in an Honors program prior to starting your project?

I had begun working in laboratories within the Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department a few months before I joined the Upper Division Honors Program because I was awarded a Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC U*) Fellowship. MARC U* funded my undergraduate research by awarding me a monthly stipend and my laboratory a mini-grant to aid in the expenditures of my project. Because I wanted to formalize my undergraduate researcher into a written manuscript, the Upper Division Honors program was a natural fit and motivated me to conduct and complete the necessary experiments for a well-rounded thesis.

What was your experience like with the Upper Division Honors program?

Writing a thesis was a challenging exercise. Balancing my responsibilities as a student, the experiments I was conducting to finalize the results that would be included in my thesis and applying to graduate doctoral programs was no easy task. Yet my experience better prepared me for the multi-task demands that exist when one works in a laboratory as a graduate student, and for the responsibilities that exist outside of his/her laboratory in graduate school. Furthermore, composing and submitting an undergraduate thesis is an incredibly satisfying intellectual and personal en devour.

How do you feel the Honors program prepared you for your life after UCR?  

From the perspective of a graduate student in a biological sciences doctoral program, I believe that the Honors program was instrumental in initiating the maturation of my scientific rationale. In conducting research as an undergraduate for three years, I learned some of the fundamental skills and principles of the scientific approach to investigation, and more importantly, my experiences helped give me the confidence and inspiration to pursue a doctoral degree.

Was it hard to do your thesis?

Biology is never easy, and my thesis research was no exception. I can only speak for those who have written theses within the biological sciences, and can tell you that biology is not an exact science. Yet with careful planning, attention to detail and the guidance of a good thesis adviser, one can probe scientific questions in a calibrated and efficient manner.

What was the deciding factor in committing to the Upper Division program?

Although I was busy, if not plagued, with other responsibilities as an undergraduate, I knew that writing a thesis would be an important and incredibly beneficial exercise for me. If that does not sell you on writing one, consider this: medical and graduate institutions go goo-goo ga-ga when they read on your applications that you have conducted research and formalized it into an official document.

How do you feel you are as a student because of the program?

I believe that the benefits of my experience in the Honors program go beyond those of being a student. Conducting research and formulating a thesis develops one's intellectual persona. Critical thinking is a fundamental skill to most, if not all careers sought after by persons of advanced education. Personally, persons that I have met and that display such ability are incredibly efficient and successful in what they do.

What is the biggest strength you have gained from the experience?

Knowing that if I could write a thesis as an undergraduate after only a year and a half of research in my thesis laboratory, I can write a doctoral thesis in my graduate laboratory!