1. A DIY guide to developing a successful undergraduate research program How do you do that with undergraduates? Steven Lev Urban Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory Towson University, Towson, MD

2. Total Enrollment19,758 Undergraduate Enrollment14,180 full-time 2,039 part-time Graduate Enrollment: 3,539 Faculty: full-time 728 part-time 647 Student-Faculty Ratio: 18:1 Sponsored Research: FY05 $13,153,885 FY06 $17,302,539 FY07 $19,045,301 TOWSON UNIVERSITY AT A GLANCE Towson is a metropolitan university located in a suburb 8 miles north of Baltimore, MD

3. What is undergraduate research? Grinding samples is not undergraduate research! Students can be active participants in all aspects of your research…

4. What is undergraduate research? Field:Monitoring of field sites, Sampling plan and Sample collection Laboratory:Method development, QA/QC planning, Sample preparation Analysis:Training to operate instrumentation, Evaluation of data quality, Statistics, Use of interpretive diagrams Dissemination:Preparation of posters and talks, Scientific writing

5. How do you do that with undergraduates? Institutional Support Faculty Commitment

6. Role of the Faculty Mentoring Planning Recruiting

7. Understand the strengths and weakness of your students Structure your research agenda so that projects can be compartmentalized Establish realistic goals for each student project Set a reasonable time table for project completion/dissemination Planning Role of the Faculty

8. Incorporate research into the core undergraduate curriculum Look beyond your discipline Offer to give departmental seminars or guest lectures in related courses Rising Sophomores and Juniors offer long term potential Recruiting Role of the Faculty

9. Provide primary literature and encourage literature review Establish clear research milestones for each student Provide regular feedback Spend time with your students in the field and in the laboratory Don’t assume mastery of basic skills Mentoring Role of the Faculty

10. Examples from the UEBL: Metal Transport and Storage y = 4.5148*x 3.3261 R 2 = 0.7412 Depth (feet) 0.40.60.81.01.21.41.61.8 Discharge (cfs) 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Discharge Model

11. Examples from the UEBL: Metal Transport and Storage

12. LMR: Little Morgan Run MDE: Middle Run BEA: Beaver Run Kaushal et al. 2005. PNAS 102:13517-13520 Examples from the UEBL: Impact of Roadway Salt

14. Pond 5 receives runoff from a 4 lane residential roadway Pond 6 receives runoff from a residential parking lot ~100 m floodplain between ponds and 2 nd order tributary of Red Run Sampling Shallow groundwater Surface water in ponds and 1 st and 2 nd order tribs 56 Dn Up Shallow Groundwater Transects

15. Examples from the UEBL: Impact of Roadway Salt Ratio of surface water conductivity to 2 nd order trib conductivity upstream of site indicates substantial salinization