“Engaging in research with an Iowa faculty mentor who is nationally renowned has encouraged me to set high goals and allowed me to investigate a research topic that will contribute, I hope, in important ways to establishing new procedures and standards in the field of dentistry.  Participating with a team of students in cutting-edge research is exciting and rewarding."

"The most rewarding thing for me about doing research is the tangible link it gives me to some of the things we learn about in our regular class work, i.e. cell cultures, PCR, and immuno-histo staining.  These types of things come up in lectures quite frequently, and if it wasn't for my research experience, I would never be able to put them into context properly."

"I am very glad I got involved in research at dental school.  It turned out to be a lot of fun, and has really helped enhance my learning by allowing me to go into the community to access the oral hygiene care that is provided to residents in Intermediate Care Facilities in Iowa.  It is great to know that what I am finding out with my research may help increase other dentist's knowledge and improve the oral hygiene care for residents in Intermediate Care Facilities." 

"Participating in the SRP has helped me make the connection between the clinical and scientific foundations of dentistry.  Working with my clinical dental research project over the last several years has helped me understand how clinical dental principles have been established and how much is still out there to be discovered to improve dental care.  My particular project has opened my eyes to the disparities that exist in dental care among minority and low-income families and how much need there is to improve access to care."

"The student research program has allowed me to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for dental research and see how it can effect what we do clinically.  It has allowed me to travel and interact with others who share my interests.  These interactions have sparked new ideas and helped me with my research.  My award has allowed me to do all this while at the same time reducing some of the financial burdens of being a student and avoiding more debt."