Undergraduate Research in the Sciences PDF Download

Author: Sandra Laursen
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 0470625619
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Undergraduate research (UR) is widely believed to enhance the learning experience of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs. This is the first comprehensive, practical, research-based book on undergraduate research. It addresses how the benefits to UR participants arise; compares the benefits of UR with other types of educational activities or experience; the long-term value of UR; and more. Intended to assist both existing and new UR practitioners with program design and evaluation needs, the book will also be useful to the wider community of academics, policy-makers, and funders of UR programs.

Author: Roman Taraban
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
This is the first comprehensive, data-based study of the benefits to students who actively participate in authentic science research programs. The book features contributors from a variety of institutions who bring together studies of undergraduate research programs. They focus on identifying the successful elements of each program, and then draw valuable conclusions about the effects those programs have on the students. Providing much-needed information about the organization and administration of programs and the challenges to create and sustain viable research opportunities, this essential resource: Features a variety of perspectives, including those of external evaluators, longtime program directors, participants, and administrators. Identifies the characteristics of effective programs and the kinds of gains that faculty and administrators can expect from them. Examines the barriers to research opportunities, including lack of departmental and institutional resources and inadequate faculty compensation. Can be used as a primer for creating programs and for determining their effectiveness.

Author: Paris H. Grey
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226825418
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
"For undergraduates in STEMM fields, the experience of working in a lab or other research position has become an increasingly important credential for many career paths. Landing such a position can be difficult, with hundreds of applicants for perhaps a dozen openings in the most competitive cases. But finding a meaningful research experience also involves knowing what to look for and how to present yourself effectively, skills that represent a hidden curriculum for many students. In this book, an expert lab manager and a longtime principal investigator share their secrets for securing these positions, both in summer undergraduate research programs and in labs operating during the academic year. They offer advice on the application and interview processes for undergraduates who often do not know how to prepare appropriately professional emails, cover letters, CVs, and interview responses. They address students in a wide variety of STEMM fields at both research-intensive universities and primarily undergraduate institutions. And they focus on how first-generation college students and those from low-income backgrounds and communities historically underrepresented in science can learn to negotiate the hidden curriculum and claim their place in research settings. This new edition also serves as a companion to the authors' social accounts, including @YouInTheLab and @TheLabMentor, where they offer advice on lab life at many levels"--

Author: Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler
Publisher: Council on Undergraduate Research
ISBN: 0941933016
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
This cross-disciplinary volume incorporates diverse perspectives on mentoring undergraduate research, including work from scholars at many different types of academic institutions in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It strives to extend the conversation on mentoring undergraduate research to enable scholars in all disciplines and a variety of institutional contexts to critically examine mentoring practices and the role of mentored undergraduate research in higher education.

Author: Chemical Sciences Roundtable
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309519764
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
This book captures the messages from a workshop that brought together research managers from government, industry, and academia to review and discuss the mechanisms that have been proposed or used to assess the value of chemical research. The workshop focused on the assessment procedures that have been or will be established within the various organizations that carry out or fund research activities, with particular attention to the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). The book presents approaches and ideas from leaders in each area that were intended to identify new and useful ways of assessing the value and potential impact of research activities.

Author: Nancy H. Hensel
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030535592
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Book Description
This edited volume explores how undergraduate research and research-based teaching is being implemented in countries around the world. Leading educators come together to discuss commonly accepted definitions of undergraduate research, country-specific models and partnerships for student research, university policies and practices to support faculty and staff who engage students in research, and available assessment data that supports the effectiveness of undergraduate research as a means to increase student engagement and academic achievement. As undergraduate research has spread around the world, professors, administrators, and policymakers benefit by learning about other approaches and models of undergraduate research.

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309380898
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Students who participate in scientific research as undergraduates report gaining many benefits from the experience. However, undergraduate research done independently under a faculty member's guidance or as part of an internship, regardless of its individual benefits, is inherently limited in its overall impact. Faculty members and sponsoring companies have limited time and funding to support undergraduate researchers, and most institutions have available (or have allocated) only enough human and financial resources to involve a small fraction of their undergraduates in such experiences. Many more students can be involved as undergraduate researchers if they do scientific research either collectively or individually as part of a regularly scheduled course. Course-based research experiences have been shown to provide students with many of the same benefits acquired from a mentored summer research experience, assuming that sufficient class time is invested, and several different potential advantages. In order to further explore this issue, the Division on Earth and Life Studies and the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education organized a convocation meant to examine the efficacy of engaging large numbers of undergraduate students who are enrolled in traditional academic year courses in the life and related sciences in original research, civic engagement around scientific issues, and/or intensive study of research methods and scientific publications at both two- and four-year colleges and universities. Participants explored the benefits and costs of offering students such experiences and the ways that such efforts may both influence and be influenced by issues such as institutional governance, available resources, and professional expectations of faculty. Integrating Discovery-Based Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum summarizes the presentations and discussions from this event.

Author: Harald A. Mieg
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108874673
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 877

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Book Description
Undergraduate Research (UR) can be defined as an investigation into a specific topic within a discipline by an undergraduate student that makes an original contribution to the field. It has become a major consideration among research universities around the world, in order to advance both academic teaching and research productivity. Edited by an international team of world authorities in UR, this Handbook is the first truly comprehensive and systematic account of undergraduate research, which brings together different international approaches, with attention to both theory and practice. It is split into sections covering different countries, disciplines, and methodologies. It also provides an overview of current research and theoretical perspectives on undergraduate research as well as future developmental prospects of UR. Written in an engaging style, yet wide-ranging in its scope, it is essential reading for anyone wishing to broaden their understanding of how undergraduate research is implemented worldwide.

Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309085357
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Biological sciences have been revolutionized, not only in the way research is conductedâ€"with the introduction of techniques such as recombinant DNA and digital technologyâ€"but also in how research findings are communicated among professionals and to the public. Yet, the undergraduate programs that train biology researchers remain much the same as they were before these fundamental changes came on the scene. This new volume provides a blueprint for bringing undergraduate biology education up to the speed of today's research fast track. It includes recommendations for teaching the next generation of life science investigators, through: Building a strong interdisciplinary curriculum that includes physical science, information technology, and mathematics. Eliminating the administrative and financial barriers to cross-departmental collaboration. Evaluating the impact of medical college admissions testing on undergraduate biology education. Creating early opportunities for independent research. Designing meaningful laboratory experiences into the curriculum. The committee presents a dozen brief case studies of exemplary programs at leading institutions and lists many resources for biology educators. This volume will be important to biology faculty, administrators, practitioners, professional societies, research and education funders, and the biotechnology industry.

Author: Janet L. Branchaw
Publisher: Macmillan Higher Education
ISBN: 1319294448
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1120

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Book Description
For students whose experience with science has been primarily in the classroom, it can be difficult to identify and contact potential mentors, and to navigate the transition to a one-on-one, mentor-student relationship. This is especially true for those who are new to research, or who belong to groups that are underrepresented in research. The Entering Research curriculum offers a mechanism to structure the independent research experience, and help students overcome these challenges.