Undergraduate Research - Lessons From the Past and Opportunities for the Future

1. Undergraduate Research - Lessons From the Past and Opportunities for the Future Saint Anselm College March 31, 2011

2. Acknowledgements Lorna Jarvis, Professor of Psychology, Hope College Curtis Gruenler, Professor of English, Hope College Moses Lee, Dean for the Natural Sciences, Hope College

3. 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.

4. 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 Two Models of Undergraduate Research

5. Undergraduate Research at Hope College

6. 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

7. 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

8. Undergraduate Research Program in STEM Fields About 75% of Hope STEM Majors Engage in Independent Research While at Hope

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 2006-2010 Hope College STEM Undergraduate Research Data

13. 2010 Summer STEM Research Program

14. Social Sciences: Psychology Political Science Sociology & Social Work Economics, Management & Accounting Kinesiology Communications Education Humanities: History Religion Philosophy English Modern & Classical Languages Undergraduate Research beyond STEM at Hope

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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)

18. 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

19. Social Sciences Celebration Participation

20. The Role of the Institution in Supporting Undergraduate Research

21. 0 Institutional Contributions Commitment to undergraduate research Hire research active faculty Expect research program involving undergraduates Space for research

22. 0 Institutional Contributions Significant start up funds for new faculty Internal competitive grants Reasonable teaching expectations Funds for faculty and student travel

23. 0 Institutional Contributions Regulatory expenses (radiation and chemical safety, animal use, human subjects) Modest departmental research budgets Equipment

24. 0 Institutional Contributions Access to literature Half price summer housing for students Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance Office of Sponsored Research

25. Institutional Contributions Specific to the Humanities and Social Sciences • Encourage collaborative research • Internal competitive grants designated for collaborative research with students • Faculty workshop on collaborative research across the disciplines

26. Institutional Contributions Specific to the Humanities and Social Sciences • Provide work spaces for humanities and social science students • Summer luncheons for collaborative research teams • Divisional celebration of undergraduate research

27. The Role of Faculty Members in Supporting Undergraduate Research

28. 0 Faculty Contributions Have active research programs Present and publish regularly Undergraduates as authors and co-authors Take students to meetings to present

29. 0 Faculty Contributions Write and submit grant proposals Research proposals Student research program proposals Pedagogy/student scholarship proposals Equipment proposals

30. 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 STEM Undergraduate Research

31. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Mellon Foundation Templeton Foundation U.S. Department of Education Lilly Endowment DeVos Foundation Great Lakes Colleges Association Sources of Funding for Social Sciences and Humanities Undergraduate Research

32. 0 Faculty Contributions 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

33. 0 Faculty Contributions 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 Integrate research and teaching

34. Faculty Contributions of Particular Importance in the Humanities and Social Sciences • Maintain a collegial research community, especially across disciplines • Choose research topics more amenable to collaboration with undergraduates • Creativity in developing models of collaboration, tailoring them to students

35. Benefits and Costs of Undergraduate Research • Institutional Benefits • Institutional Costs • Faculty Benefits • Faculty Costs • Assessing Student Benefits

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. Assessing Undergraduate Research • A key aspect of institutionalizing undergraduate research • Identify what information is needed and relevant • Design appropriate assessments to obtain that information

41. 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

42. 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

43. SURE Comparing STEM students versus other disciplines

44. SURE Comparing STEM students versus other disciplines

45. Benefits of Undergraduate Research from Elaine Seymour’s Qualitative Study • 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

46. Additional Benefits of Undergraduate Research • 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

47. Opportunities for the Future • Increasing research possibilities in the humanities and social sciences • Increasing interdisciplinary research • Increasing the diversity of undergraduate research students • Moving undergraduate research into courses

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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