Beyond surface contact

In a world-renowned biology lab at Lewis & Clark, the future comes on little gecko feet. The lab is run by Kellar Autumn, associate professor of biology, who immerses students in collaborative research projects that study the physiology, biomechanics, and evolution of how geckos can easily run up smooth vertical surfaces. What he and his students have learned holds great potential for enhancing a vast array of medical and electronic devices and technologies. For the research and the students, the future is bright with promise.

Students come to Autumn’s lab for the opportunity to use sophisticated instruments and rapidly evolving technology to analyze and apply data. Even more, they come for the opportunity to work directly with a respected scientist and energetic teacher who challenges them to develop fundamental skills in basic research and to think critically about accepted theories. What they encounter as undergraduates is scientific inquiry on a level that most colleges and universities reserve for graduate students.

Lewis & Clark’s focus on providing such experiences as a matter of course was featured in Newsweek magazine’s 2006 college guide, which noted that a low student-faculty ratio facilitates the kind of learning that is crucial to developing scientific skills. As College of Arts and Sciences Dean Julio de Paula said in the magazine, “From the intimate classroom setting to the research lab, science students . . . get direct access to the faculty.” With that access and the many benefits that flow from it, science students at Lewis & Clark— like geckos themselves defy conventional thinking.