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Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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Page 1: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship

Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock

Office of Undergraduate Research and ScholarshipUNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

Page 2: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY 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

Page 3: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 4: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 5: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 6: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 7: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 8: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 9: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 10: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 11: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 12: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

Internal Funding Sources for Faculty

Page 13: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 14: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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)

Page 15: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 16: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 17: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

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

Page 18: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE

Undergraduate Research Databasehttp://ugresearch.uaa.alaska.edu

Page 19: Engaging Undergraduates in Research and Scholarship Shannon Donovan & Kenrick Mock Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship UNIVERSITY HONORS COLLEGE