Chemical Education Today
Association Report: CUR
Enhancing Research in the Chemical Sciences at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions Recommendations of a Recent Undergraduate Research Summit by Kerry K. Karukstis and Thomas J. Wenzel
The focus of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) is to promote undergraduate student–faculty collaborative research at predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs). Considerable discussion of the on-going challenges facing research-active PUI faculty has occurred recently within the Chemistry Division of CUR. These conversations were sparked by the comprehensive study of the research environment in the natural sciences at PUIs published in Academic Excellence: The Sourcebook (1). This analysis expressed concern that PUIs have not responded quickly enough to the changing landscape of higher education and research. The changing demographics of our students, the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of research questions, the growing complexity of scientific investigations that require more extensive collaborations, and the rapid pace of technical discoveries and advances are challenges faced by all scientists. Nevertheless, faculty members at PUIs experience these challenges even more acutely as a consequence of some of the unique features and responsibilities of their institutions. In response to these concerns, an Undergraduate Research Summit, supported by the National Science Foundation, was held at Bates College in August of 2003 to examine issues involved in undertaking and sustaining research at PUIs and to provide recommendations on how to enhance the amount, quality, productivity, and visibility of chemistry research at PUIs. Chaired by Thomas Wenzel (Bates College) and co-convened by Robert Lichter (Merrimack Consultants), the summit was organized by a steering committee that facilitated the discussion by writing a series of ten white papers on various undergraduate research issues (2). White papers addressed topics such as defining undergraduate research, assessment of undergraduate research, the value of diversity within the chemical sciences, designing a researchsupportive curriculum, the value of collaborations, the importance of an appropriate infrastructure to support research, initiating and sustaining research productivity over an academic career, and the potential barriers to undergraduate research at public comprehensive institutions. The summit was attended by about 50 participants, and a report will be issued in the Spring of 2004 (3). In addition to having six CUR chemistry councilors on the summit steering committee, the CUR chemistry division is assisting in the dissemination of the report through various workshops held at national and regional conferences throughout 2004.
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Recommendations Recommendations and conclusions in the final report are aimed at individuals, departments, institutions, funding agencies, and other organizations with an interest in undergraduate research. Key points covered in the report include: • Research done by undergraduates should represent an original contribution to the discipline, and successful projects are intended for publication in peer-reviewed journals. • Assessment of undergraduate research is necessary to identify effective practices. • Involvement in undergraduate research is one potential mechanism to recruit and retain members of historically underrepresented groups to chemistry. • The development of a research-supportive curriculum recognizes that ample time and opportunities must be provided for students to undertake research. • The increasing reliance on collaborations and partnerships to conduct complex scientific investigations requires PUI faculty to clearly define their individual contributions and calls for departments, institutions, and funding agencies to recognize the value of such collaborative projects. • All constituencies—faculty, departments, and institutions—have a vital role in establishing a culture of undergraduate research on campus.
An important feature is that many of the report’s recommendations can be implemented without the need for additional resources, but instead represent changes in individual, departmental, and institutional practices. Dissemination Initial symposia on the outcomes of the summit have been held at the Gordon Research Conference on Chemistry Education Research and Practice in January 2004 and the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities in January 2004. Three symposia, offered through the ACS Division of Chemical Education, were held at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in March of 2004. These symposia were organized under the
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www.JCE.DivCHED.org
Chemical Education Today edited by
Kerry Karukstis Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 91711
heading, Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions and focused on: partnerships, faculty vitality, and providing the appropriate infrastructure. The Tenth National Conference of CUR (Crossing Boundaries: Innovations in Undergraduate Research), hosted by the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, June 23–26, 2004, will offer another opportunity to discuss the recommendations from the summit. In keeping with the theme of the conference, the Chemistry Division of CUR will hold a workshop titled “Undergraduate Research in Chemistry Involving Partnerships”. The role that partnerships can play in diversifying the chemical sciences, generating ideas, and conducting cutting-edge research will be examined. Ways to initiate and sustain partnerships will be highlighted in this session. The opening plenary session will focus on current and future challenges in undergraduate research. To complement this plenary session, another Chemistry Division workshop, Outcomes from the Undergraduate Research Summit on Chemistry, will respond to current and future challenges of conducting research in chemistry at PUIs. Finally, summit participants will offer two workshops, Curricular Structures to Support Undergraduate Research and Sustaining Research Productivity Throughout an Academic Career, that will focus on recommendations in the summit report; the summit
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Web site will be updated periodically to announce additional conferences and workshops that will serve as opportunities to discuss outcomes of the initiative (4). Literature Cited 1. Doyle, Michael P., Ed. Academic Excellence: The Sourcebook, A Study on the Role of Research in the Physical Sciences at Undergraduate Institutions; Research Corporation: Tucson, AZ, 2000. 2. Find the white papers for the Undergraduate Research Summit at http://abacus.bates.edu/acad/depts/chemistry/twenzel/ white_papers.html (accessed Jan 2004). 3. Find details on the publication of the final report at the Undergraduate Research Summit Web site: http://abacus.bates.edu/ acad/depts/chemistry/twenzel/summit.html (accessed Feb 2004). 4. Find dissemination information at http://abacus.bates.edu/acad/ depts/chemistry/twenzel/dissemination_activities.html (accessed Jan 2004).
Kerry K. Karukstis is in the Dept. of Chemistry, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711; Kerry_Karukstis@ hmc.edu. Thomas J. Wenzel is in the Dept. of Chemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04240;
[email protected].
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