engaging undergraduates in research and scholarship shannon donovan & kenrick mock office of...
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Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship
Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock
Office of Undergraduate Research and ScholarshipUNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE
Undergraduate Research at UAA• UA’s 2009 Strategic Plan:– “Increase opportunities for
undergraduate and graduate student participation in research.”
• Many benefits for both students and faculty
• In support of this goal we would like to foster a culture of undergraduate research at UAA– Mentoring Handbook– Mentoring Workshops – Undergraduate Research Project
Website– Undergraduate Research Awards
Undergraduate Research Defined
• Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR; 2000)
• Undergraduate Mentoring: “student-faculty collaboration to examine, increase, and share new knowledge or works in ways commensurate with practices in the discipline.”
Undergraduate Carmen Hanson and Faculty Mentor Dr. Carol Jones
Undergraduate Research Defined• “student-faculty collaboration
to examine, increase, and share new knowledge or works in ways commensurate with practices in the discipline.”
– Similar to the definition of traditional research• Collaborative• Goal is to seek new
information• Dissemination of
findings
Student Shane Pearce and Faculty Mentor Dr. Cathryn Pearce
Recent Trends in Undergraduate Research
• Approximately 50% of undergraduates in the natural and social sciences report having a research experience (Russell et al., 2007).– Undergraduate research is becoming more prominent in
large research institutions with graduate degree programs (Wilson et al., 2004)
• Reasons:– Better educational experience– Enhances research productivity– Increases the reputation of the institution– Community benefits from the influx of college graduates
who are critical consumers of research
Benefits to Students• Professional Development:– Learn academic honesty– Adopt the ethical standards of
their discipline– Develop confidence
• Career Choice (Russell et al., 2007):– 30% of students with research
experience decided to pursue a Ph.D.• Compared to 8% without
research experience• Job Competitiveness:– College graduates with research
experience are more competitive (CNN, 2007)
Undergraduate researcher Holly Martinson
Benefits to Faculty Mentors• Psychological Benefits:– Increase in morale– Improved self esteem– Job satisfaction
• Research Flexibility:– Pilot project– Risky project– Complementary study
• Research Productivity– Increases productivity– Frees up time to write
manuscripts & prepare grants
Faculty mentor Dr. Frank von Hippel
Benefits to the University• Undergraduate Research Programs– Increase retention of top students• Students rarely transfer
following UR experience• Students with UR experience
advertise the university
– Attract and retain top faculty
– Qualify the institution for grants from NSF and NIH• Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (REU) Grants
Summary
• Undergraduate Research– Increases the educational
experience of students• Students are more
competitive for industry jobs and graduate schools
– Increases faculty morale and research productivity
– Increases the reputation of the institution
Students and mentors
Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship
• A division of the University Honors College– Mission to advance opportunities for
undergraduates in research and creative activities– Clearinghouse for funding opportunities, grants,
scholarships, awards, activities– Advised by the Task Force for Undergraduate
Research and Scholarship
http://ours.uaa.alaska.edu
Funding Student Research Assistants
• Students are often paid– Typically start at $9.50/hr– 20 hr/week during regular semester, 40 hr/week in
summer• External Grants– Office of Sponsored Programs can assist with pre-
award activities (e.g. developing proposal)– Grants and Contracts with post-award activities (e.g.
finance)– Check with department or college on support
provided
Internal Funding Sources for Faculty
Internal Funding Sources for Faculty
• Natural Resources Fund– Awards up to $20K related to fisheries, agriculture,
forestry, mineral development, education in natural resources
• Alaska EPSCoR– Integrative research focus on physical, biological and
social science research and the dynamics of change occurring in Alaska in their respective areas
– Mini-Grants (up to $20K), Early Career Fellowships ($30K), graduate and undergraduate fellowships, travel grants
Funding Opportunities for Students• Most require the student to apply with a faculty mentor
– UAA Discovery Award – UAA Discovery Grant– UAA Undergraduate Research Grants– Alaska Heart Institute Fellowship– Parasca Science Research Award– Dr. Alex Hills Engineering Research Award– UAA Consortium Library Prize– Policy Research Internship Award– Meissner Creativity Award in the Visual Arts– Global Change Award– UAA Undergraduate Research in the Community Award (tuition
waiver)– Student Conference on United States Affairs (conference travel)– Biological Sciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF)
No Money? Other Options
• Independent Research– Academic credit, sometimes in conjunction with a
paid research position, usually A398 or A498– Student gets research experience, faculty get
research assistance, student gets credit as upper division elective toward degree
• Existing Course– Work in components of research as a class project
or exercise
Undergraduate Research Events
• Faculty Exemplar Awards• Undergraduate Research and Discovery
Symposium• UAA Student Showcase• UAA Juried Student Art Exhibit• Behavioral Sciences Conference of the North• Social Work Showcase
Undergraduate Research Database
• A public, online database of faculty research projects that involve undergraduates as part of the research team
• Faculty must set up a new research project, but then students can add to it
http://ugresearch.uaa.alaska.edu
Undergraduate Research Databasehttp://ugresearch.uaa.alaska.edu