Panelist: Amy Bug Dept. of Physics and Astronomy Swarthmore College Session III: Undergraduate Research Session questions... What are the advantages and disadvantages of a research requirement? Are there problems defining what constitutes research at an undergraduate level? What kind of preparation is needed for students and how do you provide it? Are there models other than individual students working with individual faculty members that are worth considering?

W hat are the advantages of a research experience ? Introduction to the practices and induction into the culture of science What do working scientists do? Is this the right major/career for me? Do I feel a part of this culture? Research experiences provide students with an... Research experiences provide the nation with a... Diversified pool of talented students - NSF REU guidelines, 2004

W hat are the advantages of a research experience ? Introduction to the practices and induction into the culture of science What do working scientists do? Read literature, ask questions, master techniques, fabricate equipment, gather data, analyze results, communicate findings orally and in writing What else do working scientists do? Work on real problems, get paid, are confident, are independent, depend on other scientists... adhere to the Mertonian norms or deviate from them as the case may be! -P. Ziman, Real Science, 2000

W hat are the advantages of a research experience ? Significant experiences of students -D. Lopatto, CUR quarterly, 2003 faculty concur strongly on this benefit faculty concur weakly Data analysis skills Read literature Oral communication Written communication Work is based on prior studies Interest/retention Challenge Job preparation Advisor can write stronger recommendation -Lopatto, Stewart, Gallian Some hard data, but the jury is still out … - Stewart, 2003; Seymour and SRI studies ongoing Faculty also mention...

Induction into the culture of science Do I feel a part of this culture? W hat are the advantages of a research experience ? Each Friday, there is a ‘jam session’ where all groups get together to present their research. It mainly consisted of my research advisor telling the people in the other group that they weren’t making sense. -Harvard math student of a summer REU

Induction into the culture of science Do I feel a part of this culture? Women Minorities W hat are the advantages of a research experience ? Significant experiences of minority students Interactions with program director Being with other minority students Interaction with other students in program -Alexander, 1998; LEAD center report

Induction into the culture of science Do I feel a part of this culture? It is psychologically most important to get results even if they are not original. Getting results, even by repeating another’s work, brings with it a great accession of self-confidence; the young scientist feels himself one of the club at last, can chip in at seminars and at scientific meetings with “My own experience was …” or “I got exactly the same results” or … and then can sit down again tremulous but secretly exultant. -Sir Peter Medawar, Advice to a Young Scientist, 1979 p. 17 W hat are the advantages of a research experience ?

W hat are the advantages and disadvantages of a research requirement? Students were extremely positive about the experience. Faculty were positive about what it did for students, but ‘mixed for themselves. They value the mentoring relationships, but recognize that there is some tradeoff in their own scholarship and creative work.’ -L. Glidden of St. Mary’s College quoted by J. Mervis, Science, 2001 Is there a paradoxical university vs. small-college effect? 72% of faculty surveyed said “overall research productivity was enhanced by participation”. Over 90% said they would mentor again and encourage others. -Excerpt from U. of Mich. RAIRE application

Swarthmore’s situation Approximate numbers for students doing summer research each year college stipends for summer; external grants approx. double this Physics: 17 out of 35 majors (three year estimate … F, S, J) each year 40% of majors are Honors and must write research thesis Biology: out of 100 majors; 3-4 per faculty member Math: 0-3 out of 75 majors Chemistry: 9 out of 36 majors; mostly J; all write thesis Engineering: out of 75 majors ; a few F and evenly split btwn. S and J % of seniors having done research with faculty nationwide: liberal arts: 39% Ph.D.(ext): 29% -NSSE report 2003

A re there problems defining what constitutes undergraduate research ? ‘When I look at my research, I think first of how students can connect to it.’ -M. Wilson of Wooster College quoted by J. Mervis, Science, 2001 Your experience will depend to a large extent on the advisor you end up with … Your first few days will be spent knocking on doors trying to find an advisor who 1) is a good personality match and 2) has work for an undergraduate to do. -Swarthmore Physics student of a NIST summer REU Is there an effect of research field?

Smart, motivated students working in graph theory (accessible, fruitful) with a dedicated advisor -> everyone submits publications after a single summer. No prior preparation required. A re there problems defining what constitutes undergraduate research ? …a high proportion of the work was very computational and generally messy and some students were unhappy with that … -Harvard math student of a summer REU …the participants aren’t pressured to produce something ‘publishable’ … this may be good or bad, depending on what you want … -Harvard math student of a summer REU First decide on a research problem … based on the “strength” of the student. Challenging, but within their capability With a short literature Good problems may be of interest to someone in a more applied field. -J. Gallian (mathematics), 2003 When J.G. picked me up at the airport in June, he said to me ‘There are two things that go into making a successful REU. First you need good students who are going to work hard. That’s your job. Second, you need to give them the right questions. That’s my job, you see.’ -Harvard student in Gallian’s REU Sacrifice elegance for accessibility and possibility of progress? Sacrifice possibility of progress for elegance and accessibility? Sacrifice nothing... not universally applicable...

Lopatto’s “consideration items” seem particularly vital for minority/women students, but are important to all students. A re there other models... ? Successful minority and/or women’s programs often contain distinct elements: occur early in academic career bring together critical mass of students by ethnicity/gender foster productive group interactions around both science and leisure time involve a course on research methods/culture along with the research are explicitly oriented toward future goals challenge without overwhelming Research day award winners at Wayne State U. 2001

‘I picked that grade up.’ the student recalled. Ms. Green (academic advisor) was there to say ‘I wasn’t worried.’ ‘When you don’t believe in you, they believe in you.’ said Ms. McDonald, who went on to study the binding properties of H.I.V.-1 cells in Dr. Summers’ lab. ‘The research is beautiful.’ she said. -D. Schemo, N.Y. Times, 2000 on the Meyerhoff program at U. MD Baltimore Cty. A re there other models... ? Understanding between academic and research advisors... She (Iona Black, Yale U.) spends time carefully matching students with potential mentors. She is always on the lookout for cultural differences that have the potential to sabotage a student’s progress. -C. Rey, Science, 2001 Well-designed research experiences can be antidotes to “weeder-course” effects I was absolutely prepared. I worked for two years in a real research laboratory of a woman, one of four on faculty... she would say ‘This is the kind of class you want to take if you want to go to graduate school.’ … They tried to get me ready for the big world...There was always the reality, but there was always the support. -H. Etkowitz et al., Athena Unbound, 2000

A re there other models... ? Feminist theories of knowledge acquisition and science... Rosser’s stage model of education reform Belenky et al. “women’s ways of knowing” Longino’s “science as social knowledge” Harraway’s “situated knowledge” Harding’s “strong objectivity” These overlap with mainstream ideas of what undergraduate research achieves, and why.