Undergraduate Research - Lessons From the Past and

Opportunities for the Future

Saint Anselm CollegeMarch 31, 2011

Acknowledgements

Lorna Jarvis, Professor of Psychology, Hope CollegeCurtis Gruenler, Professor of English, Hope CollegeMoses Lee, Dean for the Natural Sciences, Hope College

One Definition of Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate Research is an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.

T. J. Wenzel. What is Undergraduate Research? Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly. 17:163, 1997.

Two Models of Undergraduate Research

College of Wooster

• Required of all students• Independent Study• For credit ≈ 9% of total• Part of standard teaching

load• Not usually related to

faculty member’s research

• Often not presented outside institution or published

Hope College

• Not required by students• Generally self-selected• Volunteer, for credit, in

summer with stipend• Not part of formal

teaching load• Usually related to faculty

member’s research• Often presented outside

institution and/or published

Undergraduate Research at Hope College

Hope College Location: Holland, Michigan

Founded: 1866

Type: Four-year, Coeducational, Residential, Undergraduate, Liberal Arts

Affiliation: Reformed Church in America

Degrees: B.A., B.M., B.S., B.S. in Nursing

Departments: 27 + 10 Interdepartmental Programs

Majors: 87

Students: 3,202

Faculty: 235 Full Time, 79 Part Time

ACT Average: 25

Tuition: $26,350

STEM at HopeDivision of Natural and Applied

Sciences• Department of Biology• Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry• Department of Computer Science• Department of Engineering• Department of Geological and Environmental

Sciences• Department of Mathematics• Department of Nursing• Department of Physics

Undergraduate Research Program in STEM Fields

About 75% of Hope STEM Majors Engage in Independent Research While at Hope

Developing Undergraduate Research in STEM Fields at Hope

• 1899 – First research active science faculty member hired (Prof. Mast, Biology)

• 1902 – First faculty research laboratory • 1947 – Profs. Van Zyl and Kleinheksel begin

UR program in chemistry • 1958 – First NSF research grant – Effect of

Mammalian Hormones on Unicellular Organisms

• 1964 – VanderWerf Hall of Physics and Mathematics

Developing Undergraduate Research in STEM Fields at Hope

• 1965 – First NSF Undergraduate Research Participation grant

• 1973 – Peale Science Center• 1987 – First NSF Research Experiences

for Undergraduates grant• 2003 – Schaap Science Center• 2009 – 29 Undergraduate co-authored

publications

NSF-REU Awards

Biology 1987-2006, 2008-2012

Chemistry 1988-2007, 2009-2012

Computer Science 1992-2010

Mathematics 1992-1996, 1998-2011

Physics & Engineering 1995-2010

Geology 2004-2007

2006-2010 Hope College STEM Undergraduate Research Data

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010Summer Students 163 183 138 153 177

Non-Hope 31 21 27 29 50Under-represented 23 29 16 28 30Female 77 85 51 62 73Academic Year Students

152 121 130 115 113

Celebration Presentations

117 110 97 98 111

2010 Summer STEM Research Program

Undergraduate Research beyond STEM at Hope

• Social Sciences: – Psychology– Political Science– Sociology & Social

Work– Economics,

Management & Accounting

– Kinesiology– Communications– Education

• Humanities: – History– Religion– Philosophy– English– Modern &

Classical Languages

Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Hope

• Expectation of publication in the Humanities began with faculty hired in the late 1960s.

• Internal sources of support for faculty scholarship began in the 1970s.

• Model of collaborative research with undergraduate research began to migrate from the natural sciences in the 1990s with internal and external faculty grants targeted to collaborative research with undergrads.

Focus on Collaborative Research

• Distinguished from collaborative performance in the arts

• Distinguished from other kinds of independent research that are more traditional (especially in the Humanities)

• Definition: students and faculty working on the same or closely related projects leading to original results publicly presented by students

Summer Undergraduate Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences

• Summer 2009: 26 students working with 21 different faculty

• Summer 2010: 35 students working with 18 different faculty (about 6% of majors and 15% of faculty)

Social Science and Humanities 2010 Hope College Celebration of

Undergraduate Research

• Social Sciences participants– 112 students presented 50 projects involving

34 faculty– Approximately 10% of declared majors

• Humanities participants– 26 students presented projects involving 15

faculty– Approximately 5% of declared majors

Social Sciences Celebration Participation

The Role of the Institution in Supporting Undergraduate

Research

Institutional Contributions1. Commitment to undergraduate

research

2. Hire research active faculty

3. Expect research program involving undergraduates

4. Space for research

Institutional Contributions

5. Significant start up funds for new faculty

6. Internal competitive grants

7. Reasonable teaching expectations

8. Funds for faculty and student travel

Institutional Contributions

9. Regulatory expenses (radiation and chemical safety, animal use, human subjects)

10.Modest departmental research budgets

11. Equipment

Institutional Contributions

12.Access to literature

13.Half price summer housing for students

14.Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance

15.Office of Sponsored Research

Institutional Contributions Specific to the Humanities and Social Sciences

1. Encourage collaborative research

2. Internal competitive grants designated for collaborative research with students

3. Faculty workshop on collaborative research across the disciplines

Institutional Contributions Specific to the Humanities and Social Sciences

4. Provide work spaces for humanities and social science students

5. Summer luncheons for collaborative research teams

6. Divisional celebration of undergraduate research

The Role of Faculty Members in Supporting

Undergraduate Research

Faculty Contributions

1. Have active research programs

2. Present and publish regularly• Undergraduates as authors and co-

authors• Take students to meetings to present

Faculty Contributions

3. Write and submit grant proposals • Research proposals• Student research program proposals• Pedagogy/student scholarship

proposals• Equipment proposals

Sources of Funding for STEM Undergraduate Research

• NSF• NIH • Research

Corporation• Howard Hughes

Medical Institute• Beckman

Foundation• Merck Foundation• Sherman-Fairchild

Foundation

• NASA• Homeland Security• American Heart

Association• Campbell

Foundation• Kresge Foundation• Dreyfus Foundation• Petroleum Research

Fund

Sources of Funding for Social Sciences and Humanities Undergraduate Research

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute• Mellon Foundation• Templeton Foundation• U.S. Department of Education• Lilly Endowment• DeVos Foundation• Great Lakes Colleges Association

Faculty Contributions4. Enthusiasm for

undergraduate research• Like working with and

mentoring undergraduates• Understand undergraduate

research capabilities• Sometimes willing to have

reduced productivity in order to involve undergraduates in research

• Sometimes willing to work with summer undergraduate research students without pay

Faculty Contributions5. Maintain a research community

• Hire people who want to involve undergraduates in research

• Seminars, symposia, discussions• Introduce students to STEM world

outside of Hope• Social activities

6. Integrate research and teaching

Faculty Contributions of Particular Importance in the Humanities and

Social Sciences

1. Maintain a collegial research community, especially across disciplines

2. Choose research topics more amenable to collaboration with undergraduates

3. Creativity in developing models of collaboration, tailoring them to students

Benefits and Costs of Undergraduate Research

• Institutional Benefits• Institutional Costs• Faculty Benefits• Faculty Costs• Assessing Student Benefits

Benefits to Institution of Undergraduate Research

• Improves student learning• Builds collegiality• Recruitment of engaged students• Academic reputation• Grants bring financial resources• Invigorates curriculum• Opportunities for engagement at national level• Loyal alumni

Potential Costs to Institution of Undergraduate Research

• Institutional contributions cost money• Faculty time on undergraduate research

could be used in other ways• May lead to undergraduate research race

with peer institutions

Benefits to Faculty of Undergraduate Research

• Personal satisfaction – working with and mentoring undergraduates

• Long term friendships• Assistance with research

program• Intellectual collaboration• Opportunity for in-depth

teaching• Fun

Potential Costs to Faculty of Undergraduate Research

• Reduced research productivity• High work load - increasing demands for

research opportunities• No “time off” from teaching• Competition with other goals - teach well,

continue scholarship, enjoy a personal life, and obtain tenure and promotion

• Importance of administration’s and faculty tenure and promotion committee’s understanding of impact of supervising undergraduate research on faculty

• A key aspect of institutionalizing undergraduate research

• Identify what information is needed and relevant

• Design appropriate assessments to obtain that information

Assessing Undergraduate

Research

SURESummer Undergraduate Research Experiences

• Assessed the learning benefits of summer undergraduate research experiences on student learning

• Students participating in a summer undergraduate research program at four different institutions completed surveys measuring the impact of the program on their learning

• Worked with David Lopatto, Grinnell College• Funded by HHMI and NSF

Some Results from SURE

Gains in:• Understanding the research process in the field• Understanding how scientists work on real

problems • Learning laboratory techniques• Tolerance for obstacles faced in the research process • Learning to work independently • Ability to read and understand primary literature • Self confidence • Clarification of career path• Skill in effective oral presentation

SURE Comparing STEM students versus

other disciplines

STEM Other Disciplines

Weekly contact hours

High Lower

Mentor availability

High Lower

Design of Project

Assigned by instructor

Worked with instructor to design project

SURE Comparing STEM students versus

other disciplines

STEM Other Disciplines

Program structure

Detailed schedule with deadlines

Rough schedule to achieve goals

Style of interaction

Learning by example

Self-organized

Work setting 19.5% worked alone

58% worked alone

• Career clarification• Increased understanding of the process of

science• Improved communication ability• Improved ability to access and read the

literature• Opportunities for networking • Gains in independence and responsibility

Benefits of Undergraduate Research from Elaine Seymour’s Qualitative Study

• Understanding the relevance of classes• Increased retention in major• Increased expectation of earning Ph.D.• Increased enrollment in graduate school• Improved employment opportunities• Leadership development

Additional Benefits of

Undergraduate Research

Opportunities for the Future

1. Increasing research possibilities in the humanities and social sciences

2. Increasing interdisciplinary research

3. Increasing the diversity of undergraduate research students

4. Moving undergraduate research into courses

Expanding Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities at Hope

• Shared understanding of goals and expectations in each discipline

• Refining and expanding models of collaboration• Expanding the summer program• Interest in collaborative research increasingly

seen as desirable in hiring• More intentional mentoring of faculty

interested in collaborative research

Increasing interdisciplinary research

• Develop culture of interdisciplinary activities• Model for students interdisciplinary approach

to solving problems• Promote interdisciplinary teaching• Add to body of knowledge in interdisciplinary

areas• Seed long term collaborations

Interdisciplinary Research Grants

• Two or more faculty from at least two departments

• New or established research team

• Research plan• Plan for incorporating research

into teaching• Plans for continuation of team

including future funding• 18 Awards over 4 years• Faculty in 11 Departments

Examples• Physiological Changes Related to

Perceiving Racism (Biology and Psychology)

• Antifungal Compounds in Seeds of Pioneer Plants (Biology and Chemistry)

• Testing of a New State-Trait Hopelessness Scale (Nursing and Mathematics)

• The Psychological Profile of Young Athletes with Overuse Injuries (Psychology and Kinesiology)

1. Hughes Science Education Scholars program for future teachers

2. NSF Community Colleges Undergraduate Research Collaborative

3. NSF S-STEM program includes a summer of research for each scholarship recipient

4. Project REACH (Research Experiences Across Cultures at Hope) for high school students and teachers

Increasing the Diversity of Undergraduate Research Students

Moving Undergraduate Research into Courses

• Assessment of research like activities in courses – CURE

• A Research Course Involving Professional Level Research – The Phage Course

CUREClassroom Undergraduate Research

Experiences

To learn how courses that provide “research like experiences” compare to the intensive summer research experience some undergraduate students have.

• We identified courses that included classroom activities or assignments in which students conducted research in which no one knew the outcome.

• We compared the students’ learning gains in these high research-like courses to low research-like courses.

A New Level of Classroom Research - Phage Project

• Sponsored by HHMI• Part of the Science Education Alliance (SEA)• Initially 12 institutions• Isolate bacteriophages from environment• Characterize phages• Have DNA of one phage per institution

sequenced• Do bioinformatics study of the phage DNA• Recently published

Action Steps • Consider costs and benefits of undergraduate

research• Build a culture of undergraduate research

– Takes time but never too late to start– Can begin with a few faculty and students

• Consider various models• Build assessment into program early• Join undergraduate research networks - CUR• Obtain administrative support

– Financial • Infrastructure• Internal Grants

– Non-financial• Obtain external resources• Have fun

Thank You

Questions?

PURE

• Pedagogical uses of Research Experiences• Use the findings from CURE to implement

changes in existing courses• Create a community of scholars of teaching• Mentoring• Thirteen different instructors have

participated

Resources

• Council on Undergraduate Research– CUR Quarterly

• National Conference on Undergraduate Research• NSF Research Experiences of Undergraduates

Program• Books

Books• Science in Solution: The Impact of

Undergraduate Research on Student Learning – D. Lopatto

• Undergraduate Research in the Sciences: Engaging Students in Real Science – S. Laursen, A-B. Hunter, E. Seymour, H. Thiry, and G. Melton

• Creating Effective Undergraduate Research Programs in Science: The Transformation from Student to Scientist – R. Taraban and R. Blanton

Books• Broadening Participation in Undergraduate

Research: Fostering Excellence and Enhancing the Impact – Edited by M Boyd and J. Wesemann

• Transformative Research at Predominately Undergraduate Institutions – Edited by K. Karukstis and N. Hensel

• Building Excellence: The Rewards and Challenges of Integrating Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum – Edited by C. Dulmus and K. Sowers

• Advancing Undergraduate Research: Marketing, Communications and Fundraising – J. Kinkead

Examples of Assessment of Interdisciplinary Team Development

Q. What did you learn about communicating across disciplines? Were there any difficulties in communicating? How did you overcome them?

A. Most faculty responded that the primary issue with communication across disciplines was the use of jargon.  Thus a lot of time was needed to define concepts and terms.  The communication process was facilitated by the willingness of the collaborators to state that they just did not understand.

Hope College STEM Publications from WEB of Science (1970-2009)

Five Year Period

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Hope College Funding from the National Science Foundation (1955-2010)

Five Year Period

55-60 61-65 66-70 71-75 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 95-00 01-05 06-10

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