Research universities like UConn offer their undergraduate students unparalleled opportunities to contribute to cutting-edge scholarly inquiry. By engaging in authentic research experiences, students develop their capacity to work collaboratively, think critically, and adapt creatively when the unexpected occurs. Student learning is facilitated by the mentorship of faculty members and graduate students, who are undergraduates’ guides to the on-the-ground realities of academic research.
While many students are interested in participating in research, few have a clear sense of how to get started. The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) helps students from all majors and UConn campuses navigate this process by developing individualized strategies to find opportunities to conduct research and/or engage in creative activity. In addition, by providing funding for student projects and venues for showcasing students’ work, OUR supports students through the full cycle of inquiry: exploring the unknown, creating new knowledge, and sharing discoveries.
OUR is also a resource for faculty members. Are you looking to recruit research assistants? Post a research opportunity via the form on our website and we will advertise it via our site and social media platforms. Would you like an OUR staff member or one of our Peer Research Ambassadors to speak with your class, department, or other group? There’s an online form for that too. Would you like to learn more about our programs or strategize about involving undergraduates in your work? Contact us and we’ll set up a time to talk. And if you happen to be looking for a service opportunity, we’d be happy to add you to our ranks of application reviewers as input from faculty across the disciplines is essential to our competitive award programs.
When applicants for OUR awards are asked how they learned about these funding opportunities, faculty advisors are consistently listed as one of the primary sources of this information. We encourage you to learn more about our suite of funding programs, which run the gamut from small awards for travel or supplies through $4,000 awards for intensive summer or academic year projects. If a student doing innovative, self-designed work crosses your path, please encourage him or her to apply for a UConn IDEA Grant. This growing program supports individual or small group work on meaningful projects, whether original research, creative endeavors, service initiatives, or entrepreneurial ventures.
We invite you and your students to join us at the Fall Frontiers Poster Exhibition on October 29th, where undergraduates will share their work with the university community. Come be inspired by their terrific accomplishments and help us extend and expand the conversation about undergraduate research at UConn.
Key Dates:
August 25 – Applications open for Travel and Supply Awards
October 27 – Deadline for SHARE and RARE Award Applications
October 29 – Fall Frontiers Poster Exhibition
December 17 – Deadline for UConn IDEA Grant Applications (Summer 2015 Funding)
February 2 – Deadline for SURF Applications
March 16 – Deadline for UConn IDEA Grant Applications (Academic Year 2015-16 Funding)
Caroline McGuire, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
860-486-5829
caroline.mcguire@uconn.edu
Return to Enrichment Programs Faculty Update Fall 2014