EDUCATION ACS
MEETING
NEWS
UNDERGRÂD RESEARCH MAKES A DIFFERENCE
site, and about 80% applied to only one or two sites. Because 85% of the students whose applications were accepted received only one offer, the sites are "not chasing the same students," Grabowski said.
THE SURVEY revealed that the chemistry REU program is able to accommodate only one out of every 4.4 students who apply "In terms of growing a pool of domestic graduate students, it's agreat sign that a large CELIA M. HENRY, C&EN WASHINGTON number of people are out there," Grabowski told C&EN. He worries, however, about the students who aren't accepted. "What for Undergraduates, or REU, program. HE EDUCATORS WHO ADVOCATE impact does the fact that 77% of the stuFor one study Joseph J. Grabowski, asundergraduate participation in dents get a 'Dear John' letter have on them? sociate professor of chemistry at the Uniresearch are convinced that such Ifthey're young and in their formative stage, versity of Pittsburgh and director of Pitt's programs enhance learning and does this really knock them back so that it REU program, evaluated the nationwide retain students. Because assesspoints them in a different direction?" applicant pool for chemistry REUs to deing the effects of undergraduate research termine the "market demand." The quesis difficult, these educators have until reIn addition to the survey of the chemtion was this: Is the program big enough or cently relied on their gut instincts. istry REU program, NSF has commissioned is there a pool ofpotential participants who a large-scale study ofall its undergraduate re"There has been a dearth of assessment aren't being served? Across the U.S., there search programs. The study conducted by studies," according to ThomasJ. Wenzel, a are 66 chemistry REU sites, serving apSRI International, Menlo Park, Calif, inchemistry professor at Bates College, proximately 650 students. "Nobody had any cludes three phases, two of which have been Lewiston, Maine. He spoke last month at sense of how many students were looking completed. The first phase surveyed stua symposium sponsored by the Division of dents following their participation Chemical Education at the 5 in undergraduate research proAmerican Chemical Society naSi grams during the summer of 2002 tional meeting in San Diego. % or the 2002-03 academic year. The Many professors don't see the £ second phase included a nationneed for these assessments, per2 wide sample ofpeople who received haps even fearing that the outà undergraduate degrees in science, comes of the studies will result | engineering, or math between 1988 in the loss of autonomy, he said. S and 2003. The third phase will conSuch studies are difficult to do, tact the same participants from the and chemistry professors don't first phase to find out where they really know how to do them. are two years later. At the ACS meetNevertheless, such studies ing, Susan H. Russell of SRI deare a necessity, Wenzel noted. scribed the results obtained so far. They are likely to improve the "Our study supported what experience for all involved and people have felt intuitively all can identify effective practices. In addition, Wenzel hopes that LAB WORK Colette Handwerk participated in the Research along, which is that undergraduate research opportunities are very they can make the case for un- Experiences for Undergraduates program at the University successful in encouraging students dergraduate research with of Pittsburgh in the summer of 2002. to pursue an advanced degree and "doubters, funding agencies, giving them motivation to do that," Rusand policymakers. We need all the ammufor an REU experience," Grabowski said. sell said. nition we can get." To answer those questions, Grabowski conducted surveys of the 2003 and 2004 The surveys have looked at students' These studies are now becoming more applicant pools. He plans a similar survey needs in terms of a research environment common. Organizations hope to gain valufor this summer. Grabowski described the and the effect ofthe experience on their edable insights into the effects of undergradsurvey results at the symposium. In 2004, ucational and career decisions. Important uate research by surveying students who 5,729 applications were received from components for students include being inparticipated in such programs. For exam3,024 students. Despite an average of alvolved in a variety of research-related activple, the National Science Foundation remost two applications per student, twoities, havinggood communication with one's cently sponsored several studies to assess thirds of the applicants applied to only one faculty mentor, and being able to gain inthe impact of its Research Experiences
Studies look at the impact of undergraduate research on retention and student outcomes
T
The study supported what people have felt intuitively all along: that undergraduate research opportunities encourage students to pursue an advanced degree. WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG
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EDUCATION and careers. Students can receive either from one to four pages at the end of their creasing independence. Gains were largely work-study funding or academic credit. sophomore summer. independent of the mentor's race or sex. The alumni survey included 986 stuGregerman described a number of studAccording to Russell, the few differences dents (59% ofwhom were science and enies that Michigan has performed to assess in the students' needs by gender and race gineering majors) who graduated between whether UROP is having its intended efhave been among the most surprising find1982 and 1997. The survey included 418 fect. One study found that retention efings. "It's perfectly clear that there are lots students who had participated in the cenfects were strongest for African American of individual differences, but we couldn't tralized undergraduate research program, students and for sophomores, rather than identify very many group differences," she 213 who had done other undergraduate refreshmen. toldC&EN. search, and 355 who had done no underTo find out if UROP had effects beyond "The kids who go into targeted prograduate research. graduation, alumni were surveyed to see grams are the ones for whom that is imhow the postgraduation paths of UROP portant," Russell said. "We can't do away The alumni identified internships, unand non-UROP students differed. The stuwith those programs, but there's no evidergraduate research, the senior thesis, indents who participated in undergraduate dence that every woman needs a female tercollegiate sports, and study abroad as the research (UROP or other research) were mentor or every minority student needs a activities with the greatest perceived benemore likely to pursue postgraduate educaminority mentor." fit for grad school and their careers.The pertion and to be engaged in postgraduate received benefit correlated with the number One important finding is that most of search activity There were no differences of semesters the student had been involved. the students became interested in science or by race or ethnicity Research students were twice as likely to math as children. Efforts to encourage stuhave gone on to earn Ph.D. degrees, wheredents to enter scientificfieldstherefore need The University of Delaware, Newark, as one-third more alumni who had done no to start in the elementary grades, Russell has also done an assessment of its underresearch were employed in careers unrelatsaid. "If this is where kids are becoming in- graduate research program. Andrew L. ed to their major. terested, it's also probably where they're beZydney, formerly at Delaware and now a coming turned off," she told C&EN. chemical engineering professor at Pennsylvania State University, State College, deIN ADDITION to statistical studies, qualiNSF is now recognizing that assessment scribed the results of the survey tative studies are also being conducted. is important from the very beginning of a Anne-Barrie Hunter, a member of the program. For its new Undergraduate ReDelaware's program is open to students ethnography and evaluation research group search Centers program (see page 39), proin all majors. Each year, 600-700 students at the University of Colorado, Boulder, deposals must include an assessment plan. "I participate, and the participants are ink scribed the second set of results think that the evaluation pro2 from a study that aims to estabgrams will be an important fac| lish the benefits of undergradutor in whether or not a site is I ate research experiences. In this funded," Richard D. Foust Jr., a S second study, 76 undergrads, program officer in NSF's ChemS along with faculty members and istry Division, told C & E N . I university aobiiinistrators, from "There are a lot of people doing ° four small liberal arts colleges good chemistry out there, but with long-standing undergradunot all chemists can do good ate research programs were inevaluations." terviewed about the effects of In addition to broad studies undergraduate research. such as the ones NSF has sponsored, academic institutions are Analysis of the data sets assessing their own programs. showed that students and faculty overwhelmingly view unThe University of Michigan dergraduate research as a benehas one of the oldest programs ficial experience: For b o t h emphasizing undergraduate regroups, just over 9 0 % of all search as a means ofretaining stucomments were positive. Facdents. When the Undergraduate ulty and students reported the Research Opportunity Program FUN IN THE SUN Students collect environmental same types of gains, although (UROP) started in 1988, it was samples as part of an NSF-funded undergraduate open only to underrepresented research project at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. they had different emphases. Students emphasized gains in minorities. Today the program is confidence, their ability to do science, and open to all undergraduate students, though volved for anywhere from one to three discovering whether "research is for me," it continues to emphasize underrepresentyears. More than 60% of the faculty prowhereas faculty noted the development of ed minorities and women in science. vide undergraduate research opportuniattitudes they view as necessary if the stuties, a number that climbs to more than Michigan's program takes a "nonremedents continue in science. 90% when only science and engineering dial approach to retention," said Sandra R. faculty are counted. Gregerman, director ofUROP "It tells stuThese studies are a start, but there's still dents that they belong" at the university plenty that educators don't know about Delaware has done two assessments, the effects of undergraduate research, inZydney said: a content analysis and an The students participate in faculty-led cluding why and how it has the effects that research six to 12 hours per week and in bi- alumni survey. The content analysis init does. Perhaps future assessments can volved students writing free-form letters weekly research peer group meetings, where help educators answer those questions. • about their research experience ranging they discuss topics such as research ethics 38
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