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An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. Federal Funding Resources Receiving funding for undergraduate research can be difficult. In general, funding for research is secured through Federal agency grants or private foundation funding. Typically funds are offered for a specific project, and funding trickles down to the undergraduate level, however it is often necessary for the Principal Investigator to explicitly designate funds for the undergraduates. Some Federal agencies offer programs to fund research directly, or to create the infrastructure for sustained research programs involving undergraduates. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. The Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) activity supports research by faculty members of predominantly undergraduate institutions through the funding of individual and collaborative research projects, the purchase of shared-use research instrumentation, and Research Opportunity Awards for work with NSF-supported investigators at other institutions. Undergraduate Scholarship Program Undergraduate Experiences Presentation Opportunities Presentations to Advocate Undergraduate research experiences vary tremendously across disciplines, localities, and types of institution. One popular program is a Summer Research Experience. Others use a capstone project that involves research as a requirement for graduation. Yet other institutions deeply integrate research into the curriculum. Volume 28, Issues 1 and 2 of the CUR Quarterly focused on Models of Undergraduate Research. Below is a listing of some of the experiences highlighted in those issues: • The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University offers an Undergraduate Summer Science Exchange with Southwest University in Chongqing, China. • Penn Sate Berks has developed an Independent Researcher Model to facilitate faculty-student collaborative research in the Humanities •Utah State University applies a Research Group model for students in their College of Business Administration •The Undergraduate Biology Research Program at the University of Arizona includes 240 faculty across 43 departments and off-campus facilities. • Hope College has a number of Interdisciplinary Research projects which include Service Learning. CUR Quarterly Journal The NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to exceptional students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to biomedical, behavioral, and social science research careers at the NIH. The CUR Quarterly serves as the official public “voice” of CUR to both its members and to a broader community. Its purpose is to provide useful and inspiring information about student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship from all types of institutions. The goal and function is to advance the mission of CUR. Articles often include models and best-practices Higher Education Challenge Grants These projects address a an educational need and involve a creative or nontraditional approach toward addressing that need that can serve as a model to others to encourage and facilitate better working relationships in the university science and education community. Undergraduate Student Research Project The NASA Undergraduate Student Research Project, or USRP, offers internship opportunities for undergraduate science and engineering students at all 10 NASA centers and additional partner facilities. These mentor-guided internships provide hands-on, reallife, career-related experiences that challenge, inspire, and provide practical application that complements and expands upon students' academic education. Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships This program places students in paid internships in Science and Engineering at any of several Department of Energy facilities. Many of the participants in the program have decided on a career in science and engineering because of the nature of the experience. Students work with scientists or engineers on projects related to the laboratories' research programs. Private Foundation Funding Private Foundations are able to easily fund high-risk or interdisciplinary research. This makes them an integral part in the funding scheme of undergraduate research in the United States. A small sampling of Private Foundations offering funds for undergraduate research are listed. The largest national presentation opportunity for students is NCUR, the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research. The conference regularly hosts 2,000 students and their faculty mentors to present their research through posters, oral presentations, visual arts and performances. For more information, visit http://www.ncur.org A number of regional or disciplinary specific offerings also exist, such as the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research or the American Chemical Society National Meetings. The disciplinary meetings offer networking possibilities as student research is often presented alongside of faculty research. Professional societies such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities also offer opportunities to discuss undergraduate research. Undergraduate Journals The annual Posters on the Hill event sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research brings students and their advisors to Washington, D.C. to meet with their representatives and advocate for undergraduate research funding. The attendees are selected through a competitive process, and participate in multiple sessions on Capitol Hill. First is an orientation to give guidelines on how to speak to members of Congress. Participants then have meetings with their representatives The poster session then offers an additional opportunity to present, and network with members of Congress and disciplinary program officers. Many States also host events at their State Capitol buildings. These events, modeled after the CUR Posters on the Hill, offer an opportunity for more students to attend as they are local. In most cases, state officials, local business owners, and regional disciplinary organization officers attend these poster sessions. Institutional Celebrations Institutions and Communities across the United States offer opportunities for students to present their research. Ranging in size and discipline, these celebration days honor the outstanding research undergraduates conduct through faculty-student collaboration. Utah Research Posters on the Hill University of California Irvine Missouri State University Department of Energy Wisconsin Posters in the Rotunda Assessment/Student Outcomes Studies on undergraduate research assessment and student outcomes are gaining increased interest in the United States. Some studies have focused on programmatic goals, while others have tried to understand outcomes for students or faculty resulting from these experiences. The studies have ranged widely in methodology, size and type of student population, and institutional type. Following are references for some current assessment literature on undergraduate-research experiences. Loyola University Chicago Lopatto, D. (2004) Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE): First findings. Cell Biology Education, 3(4), 270-277. Brown University University of Maryland Baltimore County A more detailed list of celebration days can be found at: http://www.cur.org/Publications/celebrationdays.asp University of Pennsylvania Bridgewater State University A more detailed list of undergraduate journals can be found at: http://www.cur.org/ugjournal.html Russell, S. H. (2005, November). Evaluation of NSF support for undergraduate research opportunities: Survey of STEM graduates, draft final report. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://www.sri.com/policy/csted/reports/university/documents/STEM %20report%20Nov%207%2005.pdf. Seymour, E., & Hewitt, N.M. (1997). Talking about leaving: Why undergraduates leave the sciences. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.