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his is the reason Yassine Acoine ’19 came to Rollins. The firstyear pre-engineering major from Casablanca, Morocco, is holed up in a Bush Science Center lab, peering into a massive, high-powered microscope that allows him to explore the feathery root hairs of a radish on a nano scale. Physics professor Anne Murdaugh is by Acoine’s side, poised to discuss the microscopic world he’s navigating. The pair are investigating novel ways to foster plant growth as part of Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program, which partners students and faculty in real-world research and scholarship. “Doing research as an undergrad is one of the things that attracted me to Rollins,” says Acoine, who views this experience as a crucial stepping stone to a career in biomedical engineering. “On other campuses, it can be really hard to get into a research program as a freshman. It’s even harder as an international student. This program makes it much more accessible.” Over the last 17 years, more than 500 students and more than 100 faculty across 26 academic departments have participated in the program. These collaborations have resulted in more than 55 peer-reviewed publications, books, and artistic equivalents such as theatrical performances, and they have helped more than 30 students attain honors designations. “The students participating in the program are accepted into graduate programs at an exceedingly high rate,” says Christopher Fuse, an associate professor of physics who has been program director since 2010. “I can speak specifically for a major like
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