Behind the Bench Overview
Curious about undergraduate research? Wondering what it looks like? Come explore with us! Behind the Bench is an open house program that will allow you to visit one of the university’s research groups in a low stakes environment to learn more about their research: what it is and how they do it.
Participants may be able to see research in action, view the physical space and equipment, and meet researchers—the experience will vary depending on the type of research being conducted. This is not a recruitment activity, and there will be no pressure to participate in undergraduate research. Behind the Bench is designed to be exploratory in nature, so bring your curiosity: ask questions and maybe meet a new friend!
Logistics
Behind the Bench happens approximately one Friday each month from 11 AM – 1 PM during the academic year. Three 30-minute sessions (11:00-11:30, 11:45-12:15, 12:30-1:00) with programming will be planned by the host research group.
The dates for the 2024-25 academic year are as follows:
- October 4th, 2024
- Participating Departments: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Science, Physics, Psychology
- November 1st, 2024
- Participating Departments: Astronomy, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Neuroscience
- December 6th, 2024
- Participating Departments: Biology, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, Systems and Information Engineering
- February 7th, 2025
- Participating Departments: Architecture, Biology, Kinesiology
- March 7th, 2025
- Participating Departments: Architecture, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Psychology
- April 4th, 2025
- Participating Departments: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry
Participating departments for each Behind the Bench will be posted in September for the fall semester and January for the spring semester.
How do I participate?
You can sign up to attend Behind the Bench by completing the sign-up form linked below; this will enter you into a lottery. The form will be open for two weeks before each Behind the Bench date and will close at 11:59 PM on the Sunday before each Behind the Bench session. By the end of the Wednesday before the session, you will receive an email informing you about whether you’ve been selected to participate. If you have been selected, the email will also include specific details about your assigned session.
- October Session (Opens September 16th, closes September 29th)
- November Session (Opens October 14th, closes October 27th)
- December Session (Opens November 18th, closes December 1st)
- February Session (Opens January 20th, closes February 2nd)
- Entry Lottery here: https://forms.office.com/r/9WUjzffPAE
- March Session (Opens February 17th, closes March 2nd)
- April Session (Opens March 17th, closes March 30th)
Please do not schedule anything during the times you list as “available” on your interest form until you know whether you were selected to attend. If you are unable to make your assigned time, you will need to enter a future lottery to participate.
FAQs
What do I do if I was not selected?
Don’t get down. There is a reason we are having multiple sessions throughout the year and preference in future lotteries will be given to those who have yet to be selected. Enter the next lottery!
Can I participate more than once?
Yes! Students are welcome to enter the lottery again but remember that preference will be given to those who have yet to be selected.
But what I really want is to get involved with undergraduate research. How do I do that?
Behind the Bench is not the appropriate way to do that because it is more of an exploratory program that gives you insight into one research lab or group. To get involved, please come to our Fellowships & Undergraduate Research Series and attend a Getting Started in Undergraduate Research session.
Further Questions?
Please direct any questions to the Office of Citizen Scholar Development at citizenscholars@virginia.edu.