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

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

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 Chancellor’s Fund for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity – Approximately 3-5 awards up to $25K, awards up to $10K Community Engagement Mini-Grants – Approximately 1-2 awards up to $7.5K, 3-6 awards up to $2K for projects with civic engagement involving community-based research Faculty Development Fund and Research Travel Grants – Projects funded up to $4.5K, research travel up to $750

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

Undergraduate Research Database