All it took was one viewing of the movie "Braveheart" in seventh grade and Jessica Gile was hooked on history.

From then on, any history project Gile had to complete from junior high through high school focused on William Wallace and Scotland.

"Any historian who reads this is going to laugh," Gile said. "That movie is not historically accurate at all, but it made me want to go out and learn more."

Now a graduate student working as a research assistant in Marquette's Department of History, Gile is part of a sizeable group of students working behind the scenes to provide information to professors. She is hoping to turn her Hollywood spark into a career.

Like many research assistants across campus, Gile works roughly 20 hours a week under the tutelage of several professors. She spends most of her time helping James Marten, chair of the history department, research information for his upcoming book on Civil War veterans.

In return for their work, graduate students serving as research assistants receive full tuition and a monthly stipend.

Whether scouring through microfilm issues of the 1860s newspaper The Soldier's Friend or going out to the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, 5000 W. National Ave., Gile earns her keep.

"Research assistants take care of the nuts and bolts of publishing and researching," Marten said. "Jessica does more primary research, which enables me to do more complex research."

While she admits that searching through microfilm for extended periods of time can be tedious, Gile welcomes the opportunity to expand her horizons.

"I'm doing the dirty work basically, but it's neat because it exposes me to all the different resources at Marquette," Gile said. "I'm a medieval historian and Dr. Marten is a U.S. historian, so doing work for him takes me out of my element. I'm learning about things I normally wouldn't explore."

Research assistants not only enjoy the chance to enrich their knowledge of their given field but also experience the discipline of working in their future profession.

Graduate student Nick Konkol works in the biology department, studying the microbiology of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park as part of a project overseen by James Maki, associate professor of biology.

"I spend a lot of time in a lab, working with DNA and test tubes," Konkol said. "It's good training for a job in genetics or pharmaceuticals."

The large amount of time research assistants spend working on their respective projects is exactly what graduate student Marius Costache, who works in the chemistry department, likes about the position.

"It gives you more time to dedicate to your work," Costache said. "As a research assistant, you have big chunks of time to devote to research, which is good because there are fewer distractions."

According to Charles Wilkie, professor of chemistry and Costache's supervisor, being a research assistant is an important step in earning a graduate degree.

"In order to receive a Ph.D., one has to complete a significant body of work," Wilkie said. "You have to take charge of it and make it your own. That takes a lot of time."

More important than the amount of time research assistants spend studying test tubes or viewing microfilm is the experience they gain.

"They're doing what academics do," Marten said. "Being a research assistant is the first step in becoming an academic. It's a major part of their professional development."

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 29, 2005.