Expanding Undergraduate Research

“Reinventing Undergraduate Education:A Blueprint for America’s ResearchUniversities” - Carnegie Foundation

NRC: “Bio 2010”

U.S. News and World Report – rankings now include undergraduate research as a category

Creating knowledgeCommunicating knowledge

Traditional Undergraduate Research Model

Faculty mentor with small number of undergraduates

Students are typically juniors and seniors

Undergraduate major already selected

2004 CHE REU Program

A total of 67 sites support over 600 students.

Bangkok, Thailand

Paris, France

Strategy for Expanding Undergraduate Research

Target Audience

First- and second-year college students

All postsecondary institutions

Principles

Academic year focus

New models and partnerships for scalability and sustainability

Real research: cutting-edge problems, tools and methods

Undergraduate Research Centers

NSF 03-595: Pilot in the chemical sciences.

URC Implementation FY 2004

Full proposalsUp to 5 awards at $2.7 M over 5 years

Planning proposalsUp to 20 awards at $50 k for 1-2 years

Impact: Students – number and diversity Mentors – professional development Institutions – research capacity, infrastructure, culture

Partners: Office of Multidisciplinary Activities and Education and Human Resources Directorate

Response: Approximately 700 institutions, including partners

A National On-line Poster Session:A Celebration of Undergraduate Research

Pilot project, summer 2004Full-scale implementation, 2005

Cyber-Enabled ChemistryWorkshop Oct. 3-5, 2004

URC Implementation FY 2005

URC WorkshopSeptember 17, 2004 at NSF

Michael Doyle, U. MarylandAmy Shachter, Santa Clara U.Brian Tissue and Rich Foust, CHE

ProposalsProgram announcement: Fall, 2004Deadline: late Spring, 2005Awards: late Summer, 2005