Research with Undergraduates

1. Research with Undergraduates Rachel Beane, Bowdoin College On the Cutting Edge Workshop for Early Career Faculty June 2012

2. Research with Undergraduates • Types of undergraduate research • Goals for undergraduate research • Research proposals • Research contracts • Approaches to project design • Your suggestions and questions

3. Types of Undergraduate Research • Research as part of an undergraduate class • Summer research • Independent study / honors thesis research

4. Goals for undergraduate Research What do you want students to gain from the research experience?

5. Successful Undergraduate Projects • Are learning experiences for the student. • Provide the student with guidance to understand the significance of the problem/question, practice the methods, and execute the project. • Facilitate communication between the student & professor • Investigate significant rather than trivial problems. • May lead to class presentations, senior theses, conference presentations, contributions to papers...

6. Research Proposals Benefits • Student gains ownership • Student and advisor work together to focus project • May be used to secure funds (internal or external) • May be used to determine if a student should be allowed to do a project or be considered for honors • Proposal suggestions for student • Clearly state thesis/hypothesis/question • Explain the significance • Outline methods, timetable & expected results • Indicate needed materials & funds • Cite relevant references

7. Research Contracts • Makes explicit expectations for both student and advisor • May include: • Project title and overall goal • Research and learning objectives • Start and end date of project • Dates to accomplish specific objectives • Dates for training, material acquisition, field work, instrument time • Safety considerations • Responsibilities of student and advisor • Deliverables (map, paper, presentation…) • Evaluation plan • Expectations for project ownership and co-authorship

8. Guidelines for Co-authorship • As a rule of thumb, to merit co-authorship on a peer-reviewed paper, participants (undergraduate or otherwise) should have contributed significantly to • at least 2 of the following project components: • idea for and design of the project • data collection • data interpretation • writing paper

9. DESIGNING “DOABLE” PROJECTS Consider: • Time allotted (as an estimate, multiply by 3 – or more – the time it would take you to complete a step or project) • Student’s ability and motivation • Student’s and your other responsibilities

10. Who is the student? • Does she work better independently or in a small group? • Would she work better with more direction or more freedom? • What’s her motivation for doing a research project?

11. Who are you? • Do you see yourself as a teacher, supervisor, employer, colleague…? • Is there an institutional expectation that you advise students on research projects? • Will the project complement your own research?

12. Project Design Approach One approach to multi-student or multi-year projects is for students to work on different pieces of a larger project. Example 1: Characterizing a formation • Measuring stratigraphic section • Tracing marker horizons • Analyzing textures • Doing pebble counts • Identifying fossils

13. Project Design Approach One approach to multi-student or multi-year projects is for students to work on different pieces of a larger project. Example 2: Formation of elongated garnets • Outcrop map • Field measurements of garnets • XrCT of garnets • EBSD of garnets • EDS/WDS of garnets • OH component of garnets

14. Project Design Approach Consider adapting some of your research to questions that can be addressed in local field areas or using in-house instrumentation.

15. Adapting projects to local field areasAn example of my strategic plan to balance research & teaching & family • Goal: Develop field-based program close to campus for class & summer projects • Funding: internal, followed by NSF grant • Courses: Intro – advanced undergraduate • Summer students: sophomores - seniors • Publications: book chapter*, meeting presentations, papers • Strategy: Field area near home fosters balance between family & research & teaching * Beane, R.J. and Urquhart, J. 2009. Providing Research Experiences to Non-Science Majors in an Introductory Science Course. Council on Undergraduate Research.

16. Your suggestions and questions • How have you designed projects for undergraduate researchers? • What questions do you have about designing projects and working with undergraduates?

17. Acknowledgments This presentation draws on material put together for previous Early Career workshops by: • Rebecca Ambers (Sweet Briar College) • Rachel Beane (Bowdoin College) • Ann Bykerk-Kauffman (California State University, Chico) • Jim Ebert (State University of New York, Oneonta) • Julia Sankey (California State University, Stanislaus) • Kristen St. John (James Madison University) • Steven Wojtal (Oberlin College)