Undergraduate Research

The undergraduate research experience may be the epitome of engaged learning. Undergraduate research is valuable because it sets the occasion for attaining a wide range of educational goals. As a single experience it may facilitate empowered learning (including communication, problem solving, and teamwork), informed learning (allowing the student to study the natural and cultural world), and responsible learning (permitting the study of social problems and the self). It promises benefits that reflect the National Student Survey of Engagement (NSSE) student engagement benchmarks—high academic challenge, active collaborative learning, intense student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experience, and supportive campus environment (Kuh 2003). Moreover, it can be situated as a capstone senior experience or a first-year experience; it can be housed in the sciences, social sciences, or humanities; it can occur as a dispassionate intellectual exercise or a form of social action; and it can be done at the home campus or abroad. (David Lopatto, Peer Review, Winter 2006)

In this annual event, Michigan State University students present their research on a large range of topics. The forum usually begins at noon with a welcome address by the Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education. In this annual event, Michigan State University students present their research on a large range of topics. The forum usually begins at noon with a welcome address by the Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education. The annual forum allows undergraduates from diverse academic disciplines to showcase their research and creative endeavors through oral or poster presentations. MSU faculty members often serve as mentors to undergraduate students who want to partake in scholarly work. Visit Venture (http://venture.msu.edu) to find out more about how to work with an undergraduate scholar. All MSU faculty members can post projects through Venture to recruit outstanding undergraduates for your research team.

If you are interested in developing a UURAF project with your IAH students, contact CIS-AH academic staff.

These Honors classes are designed particularly for first- and second-year Honors College students and provide an opportunity to engage in research in close association with MSU faculty members. (The seminars are listed as UGS 200H in the Schedule of Courses and Honors College Bulletin of Course Descriptions.) Among the benefits of these seminars:

• Seminars offer opportunities for hands-on work, often on cutting-edge research projects, under the supervision of MSU faculty members. Students who gain this experience are well situated to find other research opportunities in future.
• Every seminar offers the opportunity to present at the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum in April. Many seminars also offer presentation and publication opportunities in other forums, both inside and outside the university.
• Seminars count as one Honors experience and, with the approval of an Honors College adviser, may count toward General Education requirements for Honors College members.