scholarly journals An IDeA for enhancing undergraduate research at rural primarily undergraduate institutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 464-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Sens ◽  
Karen L. Cisek ◽  
Pat Conway ◽  
Van A. Doze
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Baccalaureate Degree ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
The North ◽  
Undergraduate Institutions ◽  
Student Researchers ◽  
Post Baccalaureate ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Salary Support

This study documents the efforts of the North Dakota (ND) IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program to assist in the development of undergraduate research programs at four state-supported primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) in ND. The study was initiated in the 2004–2005 academic year and continues to the present. The study shows that gaining initial institutional support for undergraduate research was assisted by providing salary support for faculty involved in undergraduate research. Once research was ongoing, each institution evolved their own unique plan for the use of support from the ND INBRE. Undergraduate student researchers have prepared, presented, and defended their research results on 188 unique posters since initiation of the program, with many posters being presented at more than one meeting. PUI faculty have authored 35 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Evaluation has shown that over 95% of the undergraduate students performing research matriculated with their bachelor’s degree. Career choices of 77.2% of these graduates was determined, and 37% pursued a career in the health professions. Of the students not pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree, 81.2% chose careers directly linked to science. The study reinforces the concept that undergraduate research can be performed directly on the PUI campus and be of value in preparing the next generation of health professionals in research, service, and teaching.

scholarly journals Letter from the Editors-in-Chief

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Haldoupis ◽  
Caitilin Terfloth
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Low Dose Aspirin ◽  
Student Volunteers ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Academic Year

As issue 2.2 comes together, we reflect on the growth of USURJ over just a few short years. To date, USURJ has received 213 submissions and published 41. It has provided feedback to researchers and worked with them to improve their writing. In addition, 64 student volunteers from the University of Saskatchewan have now gained editorial experience and learned about the inner workings of a peer reviewed, academic publication, and many have worked with the journal for two years or more. This year, we analyzed 17 multidisciplinary undergraduate research journals from across North America, and found that the number of student editors on our USURJ team far surpasses all but three: the Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal, the Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal, and the Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal.Thanks to an increasing number of submissions, we are able to release, for the first time, two issues in one academic year. We sincerely value our volunteer editors, who have once again pulled together to make USURJ happen. It is gratifying to be able to not only help make these experiences happen, but also to provide a venue for undergraduates to share their research—and do they ever have some great ideas to share! In this issue, one engaged student approaches and interviews cyclists using Saskatoon’s 23rd Street Bicycle Boulevard to inform his analysis of that infrastructure. One researcher discusses the importance of conservation strategies that look at the impact of an endangered animal’s decline, and the impact of conservation on its ecosystem. Another evaluates whether or not low dose aspirin reduces occurrences of myocardial infarction (a type of coronary heart disease) and provides recommendations for nurses. Another student calls attention to a food crisis affecting northern Canadian communities, evaluates the measures currently in place to help to solve this issue, and provides suggestions and possible amendments to these measures.Once again, University of Saskatchewan undergraduate students have proven the importance of disseminating their research, not only taking it outside of the classroom to the institution, but also to the international stage.Happy reading! Nicole Haldoupis & Caitilin Terfloth Graduate and Undergraduate Editors-in-Chief

scholarly journals From Uncle Tom’s Cabin to “Countering Colston”: Slavery and Memory in a Transatlantic Undergraduate Research Project

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Reid-Maroney ◽  
Amy Bell ◽  
Neil Brooks ◽  
Olivette Otele ◽  
Richard White
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Public History ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Research Project ◽  
History And Memory ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Uncle Tom's Cabin ◽  
Student Researchers ◽  
The Uk

AbstractIn 2016–17 and in 2018–19, undergraduate students and faculty at Huron University College in London, Canada, and at Bath Spa University in the UK collaborated on an innovative community-based research project: Phantoms of the Past: Slavery and Resistance, History and Memory in the Atlantic World. Our paper outlines the structure of the project, highlights student research, and argues that the Phantoms undergraduate student researchers helped to create an innovative and important body of work on transatlantic Public History and local commemorative practice.

scholarly journals Why Work with Undergraduate Researchers? Differences in Research Advisors’ Motivations and Outcomes by Career Stage

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. ar13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles N. Hayward ◽  
Sandra L. Laursen ◽  
Heather Thiry
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Early Career ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Career Stage ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Student Researchers ◽  
And Mathematics

Undergraduate research is often hailed as a solution to increasing the number and quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates needed to fill the high-tech jobs of the future. Student benefits of research are well documented but the emerging literature on advisors’ perspectives is incomplete: only a few studies have included the graduate students and postdocs who often serve as research advisors, and not much is known about why research advisors choose to work with undergraduate researchers. We report the motivations for advising undergraduate researchers, and the related costs and benefits of doing so, from 30 interviews with research advisors at various career stages. Many advisors stated intrinsic motivations, but a small group of early-career advisors expressed only instrumental motivations. We explore what this means for how advisors work with student researchers, the benefits students may or may not gain from the experience, and the implications for training and retaining research advisors who can provide high-quality research experiences for undergraduate students.

scholarly journals STEERing an IDeA in Undergraduate Research at a Rural Research Intensive University

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 237428951773509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Sens ◽  
Karen L. Cisek ◽  
Scott H. Garrett ◽  
Seema Somji ◽  
Jane R. Dunlevy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
North Dakota ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
The North ◽  
Rural Environments

This study documents outcomes, including student career choices, of the North Dakota Institutional Development Award Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence program that provides 10-week, summer undergraduate research experiences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Program evaluation initiated in 2008 and, to date, 335 students have completed the program. Of the 335, 214 students have successfully completed their bachelor’s degree, 102 are still undergraduates, and 19 either did not complete a bachelor’s degree or were lost to follow-up. The program was able to track 200 of the 214 students for education and career choices following graduation. Of these 200, 76% continued in postgraduate health-related education; 34.0% and 20.5% are enrolled in or have completed MD or PhD programs, respectively. Other postbaccalaureate pursuits included careers in pharmacy, optometry, dentistry, public health, physical therapy, nurse practitioner, and physician’s assistant, accounting for an additional 21.5%. Most students electing to stop formal education at the bachelor’s degree also entered fields related to health care or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (19.5%), with only a small number of the 200 students tracked going into service or industries which lacked an association with the health-care workforce (4.5%). These student outcomes support the concept that participation in summer undergraduate research boosts efforts to populate the pipeline of future researchers and health professionals. It is also an indication that future researchers and health professionals will be able to communicate the value of research in their professional and social associations. The report also discusses best practices and issues in summer undergraduate research for students originating from rural environments.

scholarly journals French for Professional Purposes in US Undergraduate Education: An Analysis of Course Offerings and Student Demand

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Bouche ◽  
Deborah S. Reisinger
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Education ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Supply And Demand ◽  
French Language ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Course Offerings ◽  
Student Demand ◽  
Academic Year

In the past decade, there has been a significant decline in French language enrollments in US higher education institutions, despite a growing demand for French proficiency in the North American job market. These trends illustrate the need to offer French for Professional Purposes (FPP) courses, which allow students to develop language skills adapted to the professional environment. Our research aims to analyze the supply and demand for FPP courses. In this current study, we assessed the proportion of four-year colleges and universities that offer FPP courses, and we compiled the variety of their course offerings. We then conducted a survey of students enrolled in the FPP courses. Among the 545 institutions reviewed, a majority offered at least one FPP course, usually Business French. Institutions offering more than one course and a wider diversity of course topics were less common. Based on questionnaire responses, we found a significant mismatch between the supply of courses and students’ demand for FPP course offerings. We also found that, if given the possibility, most undergraduate students in the first through third years would like to enroll in another FPP course in the following academic year. These results call for further developments of FPP courses nationwide and greater diversification of course offerings.

scholarly journals The Benefits of Multi-Year Research Experiences: Differences in Novice and Experienced Students’ Reported Gains from Undergraduate Research

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 260-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Thiry ◽  
Timothy J. Weston ◽  
Sandra L. Laursen ◽  
Anne-Barrie Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Student Researchers ◽  
Research Students

This mixed-methods study explores differences in novice and experienced undergraduate students’ perceptions of their cognitive, personal, and professional gains from engaging in scientific research. The study was conducted in four different undergraduate research (UR) programs at two research-extensive universities; three of these programs had a focus on the biosciences. Seventy-three entry-level and experienced student researchers participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews and completed the quantitative Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA) instrument. Interviews and surveys assessed students’ developmental outcomes from engaging in UR. Experienced students reported distinct personal, professional, and cognitive outcomes relative to their novice peers, including a more sophisticated understanding of the process of scientific research. Students also described the trajectories by which they developed not only the intellectual skills necessary to advance in science, but also the behaviors and temperament necessary to be a scientist. The findings suggest that students benefit from multi-year UR experiences. Implications for UR program design, advising practices, and funding structures are discussed.

MAKING THE JUMP TO UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH FOR TOP-LEVEL HIGHSCHOOL STUDENT RESEARCHERS: FINDING SOME POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Impreet Singh ◽  
◽  
Bonnie A.B. Blackwell ◽  
Israt J. Ahmed ◽  
Riyadh Ally ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Student Researchers

scholarly journals Undergraduate Research Program to Recycle Composite Waste

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Waleed Ahmed ◽  
Essam Zaneldin ◽  
Amged Al Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Carbon Fiber ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Modulus Of Elasticity ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Undergraduate Research Program ◽  
Structural Applications ◽  
Cfrp Composite

With the rapid growth in the manufacturing industry and increased urbanization, higher amounts of composite material waste are being produced, causing severe threats to the environment. These environmental concerns, coupled with the fact that undergraduate students typically have minimal experience in research, have initiated the need at the UAE University to promote research among undergraduate students, leading to the development of a summer undergraduate research program. In this study, a recycling methodology is presented to test lab-fabricated Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) for potential applications in industrial composite waste. The work was conducted by two groups of undergraduate students at the UAE University. The methodology involved the chemical dissolution of the composite waste, followed by compression molding and adequate heat treatment for rapid curing of CFRP. Subsequently, the CFRP samples were divided into three groups based on their geometrical distinctions. The mechanical properties (i.e., modulus of elasticity and compressive strength) were determined through material testing, and the results were then compared with steel for prompt reference. The results revealed that the values of mechanical properties range from 2 to 4.3 GPa for the modulus of elasticity and from 203.7 to 301.5 MPa for the compressive strength. These values are considered competitive and optimal, and as such, carbon fiber waste can be used as an alternate material for various structural applications. The inconsistencies in the values are due to discrepancies in the procedure as a result of the lack of specialized equipment for handling CFRP waste material. The study concluded that the properties of CFRP composite prepreg scrap tend to be reusable instead of disposable. Despite the meager experimental discrepancies, test values and mechanical properties indicate that CFRP composite can be successfully used as a material for nonstructural applications.

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