Why do research at a college?
Why publications?
Can undergraduates really do this?
Can everyone get involved?
Are these paid positions?
How do I get involved?

The answer depends on who you are asking.  If you ask a student researcher, they will tell you that it is challenging and fun!  The lab is a place to apply the things you've been learning in class, to problems that are of interest to scientists all over the world.  By taking on a research project, students learn how to function in situations where it isn't always clear what to do next.  By working with a faculty member and with other students, you learn how to define the questions you wish to address; how to design, build, and run experiments to probe those questions;  how to set up and solve the appropriate theoretical equations or programs, how to analyze the data, and when all is said and done, how to communicate the results of your labors to the outside world.  In short, working in research is an internship in the world of  real science.

We have found that experience in the research labs (or in major independent study projects), has been the deciding factor for opening post-Knox doors for our students.  And once they have entered those doors, graduates of the research labs find that they are far more successful than their peers.  We have seen students admitted to the 3-2 engineering program even though they did not meet the GPA requirements, on the basis of their strong performance in the labs.  Likewise, students who tested poorly on the Physics GRE have been admitted to graduate school in physics, also due to their work in the labs.  In both cases, these Knox graduates have done very well for themselves.  Why is undergraduate research experience so important?  Working on a research project allows you to develop and demonstrate skills and determination, intangibles that are crucial for success beyond Knox. When you have worked so closely with the faculty, we can also write compelling letters of recommendation. Working at research completes and strengthens your Physics education.

If you ask the faculty why they do research, they would first of all repeat all of the preceding two paragraphs.  But there is also more at stake for us and our department.  Continued research efforts are required to raise the grant money needed for research to exist at Knox.  Continuing contact with scientists from all over, especially those at top graduate programs, increases our students chances of leveraging their efforts at Knox into success in graduate school.  And we shouldn't discount the challenge of operating at a high research level.  Nothing beats having our colleagues ask incredulously, "You did this research AT AN UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE?"

We feel that it is important to aim at publishing our research in the top journals in our fields.  It's a basic quality control step.  To publish in these journals requires that our work be refereed, judged acceptable by our peers.  While there is certainly value in projects that are not aimed at publication, there is always the danger that such efforts will be compromised to the point of not being of much value.  By aiming at publication, we remain firmly connected to the outside world.  A side benefit is that the outside world is continually reminded of what Knox students and faculty are doing!  When we advise students working on non-publication projects at Knox, we bring the perspective of the outside world to bear.

Yes, without a doubt.  You can begin to work in the labs as early as the summer after your first year at Knox.  There is always plenty to do that doesn't require advanced physics knowledge.  As you gain this knowledge in later years, the lab work you have done (and are doing) supports your classroom learning.  If you feel there is no way you could do something as advanced as research, you are flat wrong!  The faculty at Knox can find a way for you to contribute.  All you need to bring is the desire and the elbow grease.

Yes.  At Knox, we do not reserve research positions for the top classroom students.  There is plenty of work, and we realize the benefits of research for all of our students, not just those headed to graduate school.  Also, skill sat textbook problem solving and test taking don't always make good predictors for success in the research setting.  So we would go further than this question and reply:  "Everyone SHOULD get involved."

Summer research positions are usually paid.  You won't get rich, but you can save some money for school.  Research work during the school year is usually not paid, but you can easily earn academic credit through the Independent Study course mechanism.  For especially ambitious projects, you can earn academic credit, as well as college Honors, by formulating your work as an Honors Project.

The crucial step is to find out what is going on and talk to the professors!  You will quickly find that scientists love to talk about their work.  The main issues will be:  what sorts of things are possible for project topics, and what is the funding situation.  There are a number of options for the latter, ranging from on-campus fellowship programs to individual faculty research grants.  The key is to start early, and be ready to try a number of different scenarios.  Generally speaking, the faculty usually can find a way to make things work out.