Chemical Education Today
Association Report: CUR
A Report on CUR 2000: The Many Facets of Undergraduate Research by Kerry K. Karukstis
The Eighth National Conference of the Council on Undergraduate Research, “The Many Facets of Undergraduate Research”, was held at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, June 22–24, 2000.1 There were more than 600 participants. Conference co-chairs Charlotte Otto (University of Michigan-Dearborn) and Patricia DeWinstanley (Oberlin College), with College of Wooster local committee co-chairs Don Jacobs and Lori Bettison-Varga, assembled an array of plenary sessions, workshops, poster sessions, and symposia to explore a rich array of themes. Institutionalization of undergraduate research, facility design and renovation, faculty development, funding opportunities, collaborative research, assessment of research activities, and interdisciplinary research were among the issues highlighted. More than 100 workshops given by 230 presenters provided opportunities for faculty and administrators to exchange ideas on undergraduate research and science education. Identifying Progress in Science Education and Research Before arriving at Wooster, the conference registrants were solicited for their opinions on the current state and future of undergraduate science, mathematical sciences, engineering and technology (SMET) education. Survey questions focused on the student population, curriculum, and undergraduate research. Respondents indicated that significant progress had been made in the past decade in the number of female undergraduate science majors and in the access that undergraduates now have to faculty mentors. Efforts toward the recruitment and retention of minority undergraduate science majors and science majors interested in careers in elementary and secondary education were deemed most needed. In the curricular arena, the greatest progress was noted in providing active learning experiences in the classroom and laboratory as well as beyond the traditional classroom. Further development of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary courses to enhance scientific literacy was viewed as the most critical curricular need. Achievements in one-on-one faculty–student research collaboration were perceived as considerable over the past decade. For research programs to remain viable, the survey respondents noted that colleges and universities will need to provide both time and money. Crediting time engaged in research with undergraduates as teaching time was often cited as one mechanism to address the labor-intensive nature of one-on-one research experiences.2 Many of the conference workshops addressed the issues raised by survey respondents. The concern of research with undergraduates as a time-intensive teaching activity was the focus of the session “What Is an Appropriate Teaching Load for a Research-Active Faculty at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution?” A variety of successful approaches to the in1388
tegration of research and education were highlighted in a poster session, “Pedagogical/Collaborative Undergraduate Research Models”. Interdisciplinary activities were further showcased in a special symposium on “Interdisciplinary Environmental Research with Undergraduates” presented and cosponsored by the National Council for Science and the Environment. Workshops of Special Interest to Chemists Divisional workshops on specific disciplinary topics were an important element of the program. The Chemistry Division had workshops on facilities, technology, and curriculum. In “Physical Chemistry Laboratory or Advanced Integrative Laboratory, Benefits and Challenges of Each” specific innovative experiments and approaches used to create capstone integrative laboratory courses were discussed. “Novel Interdisciplinary Programs at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology” focused on the development and implementation of curricular programs in emerging fields related to biochemistry and biotechnology. “Undergraduate Access to On-Line Chemistry Journals” reviewed the UCAIR 2000 project providing faculty and students at primarily undergraduate institutions with on-line access to ACS journals. Chemists and other participants availed themselves of expert advice in workshops such as “Upgrading Existing Instrumentation”, “Developing a Chemical Hygiene Plan”, and “Designing Web Pages to Showcase Research with Undergraduates”. Workshops Featuring CUR’s Programs and Projects A number of the workshops focused on specific activities of CUR. The various divisions of CUR offer consultant services to departments and science divisions, and the workshop “How to Prepare for a CUR Departmental Review” featured this service. “How to Institutionalize Undergraduate Research” focused on mechanisms for making undergraduate research a part of the campus culture. This topic was further explored in the workshop “Launching, Developing, and Assessing Undergraduate Research Programs: Challenges and Rewards”. In particular, approaches and practices highlighted in CUR’s booklet At the Interface of Scholarship and Teaching: How To Develop and Administer Institutional Undergraduate Research Programs were described. Many of the divisions of CUR offer a mentor network, particularly for new faculty desiring a research mentor with expertise in a specific field. Such mentors might be asked to critique a research proposal or to offer advice on conducting research with undergraduates. Workshops providing similar mentoring experiences included “Landing a Tenure Track Job at a PUI” and “Things I Wish They’d Told Me: Advice from Recent New Faculty”.
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 77 No. 11 November 2000 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemical Education Today edited by
Judith A. Halstead Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Focus on Research Funding Opportunities One day was dedicated to presentations of funding opportunities and outlining strategies for preparing successful grant proposals. Of particular interest to chemists were the descriptions of funding programs offered by the ACS Petroleum Research Fund, Research Corporation, NSF, and the NIH. Attendees gained insights and practical advice at the workshop “Beating the Success Rate by Writing Excellent Research Proposals” (sponsored by the ACS PRF) and participated in the “Chemistry Mock Panel Review Workshop for the NSF CCLI Program” (sponsored by the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education). A Funding Fair also enabled conference attendees to speak directly with representatives of government granting agencies, federal laboratories, and private companies. CUR recognized the 50th anniversary of NSF with a commendation that was received on NSF’s behalf by John B. Hunt, Deputy Assistant Director for Integrative Activities in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Celebration of Undergraduate Research— CUR Fellows The first biennial CUR Fellows Awards were presented to Mary Allen of Wellesley College and Julio Ramirez of Davidson College for their development of nationally respected research programs at their institutions. Each Fellow presented a lecture highlighting his or her work with undergraduates. This award program was established to celebrate individuals who champion collaborative research among undergraduates and their faculty mentors.
Figure 1. Conference participants had numerous opportunities to interact and exchange ideas, as at this poster session on Pedagogical/Collaborative Undergraduate Research Models held in the Ebert Art Center.
Notes 1. The 9th CUR National Conference will be held at Connecticut College June 17–22, 2002. It is open to interested persons, whether CUR members or not. For information on CUR programming and events, consult the CUR Web site at http:// www.cur.org. 2. For further information on this survey contact Jeffery G. Hanna, Office of Public Information, The College of Wooster,
[email protected].
Kerry K. Karukstis is in the Department of Chemistry, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711; kerry_karukstis @hmc.edu. She serves as a councilor for the Chemistry Division of CUR and is Chair-Elect of its Chemistry Division.
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 77 No. 11 November 2000 • Journal of Chemical Education
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