Undergraduate ResearchStudents and faculty working together

Connections. For Life. | www.une.edu

The Undergraduate Summer Research program provides opportunities for students to work with faculty across UNE’s full spectrum of curriculum and discipline offerings. Subjects presented at the 2009 Symposium included medical biology, po-litical science, psychology, chemistry and environmental studies. Presentations included observations of Atlantic Sturgeon move-ments in the Saco River, trends in the American penal system, the treatment of children with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and ecological impacts of historical coastal dairy operations.

The Undergraduate Research Coordinator, a UNE faculty member who supervises and administers the program for engaging undergraduates in faculty-mentored research, administers available summer work study funds for interested students. Each summer approximately 60 students remain on campus to work with faculty in research related to their disciplines. The program provides modest stipends through the Dean’s Office in the College of Arts and Sciences to compensate students who would otherwise earn income from summer employment. At the conclusion of their work, students present the results of their research at an Under- graduate Summer Research Symposium.

Students often describe such primary active learning experi-ences as highlights of their college career and affirmations of their developing interests and purpose. These opportunities build students’ confidence and their awareness of what it takes to succeed outside the classroom.

“I fondly regard my undergraduate research not only as an educational

experience but also as a period of growth and self-reflection. Utilizing

resources available to me at UNE, I was able to investigate web-based

calculus tutorials, better preparing myself for the future. The opportunity

was tremendously beneficial, and I would strongly encourage other under-

graduates to participate.” • Kylie Bragdon ‘10

Undergraduate Research at UNE fulfills three important educational objectives:

• Serves as a culmination of the educational experience by enabling students to synthesize, apply and test acquired skills and knowledge in new ways

• Provides opportunities to demonstrate students’ ability to speak and write about their own work

• Prepares students for graduate school and professional careers

Support for some of the research projects comes from outside third-par-ty agencies, foundations and government funds. Those resources help defray the costs for the faculty member responsible for the research, but they do not cover stipends for student assistants who work on research projects in lieu of other summer employment. UNE provides stipends to students from a small but growing fund dedicated for this purpose.

Student compensation is based on the amount of time they allocate to the research work – in most cases, a stipend of $5,000 will provide a full summer research opportunity for one student. Your gift will increase the number of these opportunities for UNE students to participate in this enriching aspect of their college education. These opportunities have expanded from graduate schools to undergraduate learning with many benefits including improved engagement between high quality faculty and students, an appreciation of how to apply learning, and higher student satisfaction.

• Your gift helps enable a UNE student to experience the excitement of contributing new knowledge to his or her chosen discipline.

• You enjoy the opportunity to share in that excitement and satisfaction through the knowledge that your gift had a direct impact on a student’s education and career aspirations.

• You become part of that teaching-learning model in a much more direct and active way, contributing to the success and reputation of UNE.

• You will be invited to attend the annual symposia to learn about the undergraduate research you helped fund.

• Your gift of $5,000 will provide a student with a research fellowship bearing your name.

“My undergraduate research experience at UNE bolstered my

problem-solving and deductive reasoning skills through opportunities

to apply concepts from my coursework to experimental practice.

I left with a strong background in basic science and interest in

translational research thanks in large part to the mentorship and

network connections gained from UNE’s research faculty.”

Alex Skorput ‘08

Summer Research Fellowship Program

Annual Program Goal: $150,000

Gift Size # Gifts Total Gifts Cumulative Gifts

$50,000 1 $50,000 $50,000

$25,000 2 $50,000 $100,000

$5–10,000 5–10 $50,000 $150,000

“Our goal is to have every student in the College of Arts and Sciences engage in research in one way or another because we believe in the value of the experience.” • Dr. Arthur Goldstein, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

For more inFormation on how you can help, please contact:Harley Knowles, Ed.D., Vice President for Institutional Advancement(207) 221-4378 | hknowles1@une.edu

Biddeford Campus11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, ME 04005

Portland Campus716 Stevens Ave, Portland, ME 04103