A special group of biology labs, called CURE, are helping students understand research and develop their own experiments.

Featured in The Daily,  these courses allow students to ask open-ended questions and develop their own methods of testing and gathering data. Rather than completing a checklist of steps and going through guided motions, they explore scientific methods and techniques, gaining vital experience even when things don’t turn out as expected.

“If you get a bad result, that’s not the end of it—that’s not where science stops” explained [Dr. Fritz] Petersen. “The goal is for students to reflect and say, ‘Why didn’t this grow? What can I do differently? How can I amend my approach?'”

For many students, the experience is both exciting and unfamiliar. Without a predetermined outcome, success is no longer defined by getting the “right” answer. “They’re really apprehensive at first,” said [Dr. Kathleen] Hershberger. “But we remind them that in real research, we don’t know what the outcome is going to be.”

You can read the full article in The Daily HERE.