IU Undergraduate Research (IUUR) was created in 2018 to fill a gap in research and creative activity programming for undergraduate students. At the time, programs tended to be narrowly selective, and the infrastructure was not in place to connect undergraduates interested in research with accessible, welcoming programs that fit their needs. It can still be difficult for students in departments without defined research programs to figure out who they should talk to or what research opportunities exist for them.
According to director of student programming Melissa Blunck, “we want students to know that research and creative activity is for all students; you don’t have to be at the top of your class to enjoy research and have it shape your future career path.”
IUUR makes research and creative activity opportunities accessible to students in all majors
Throughout the year, IU Undergraduate Research hosts:
- Advising sessions with students to help them discover opportunities and take first steps
- A residential summer research and scholarship program, with peer mentors and reflection sessions
- A federal work study research assistant program that allows students to get paid to do research
- Undergraduate research ambassadors who perform outreach at events and host workshops and panels
- Spotlights of students in research and creative activity through undergraduate research month
- Funding for conference travel as part of IUB’s experiential learning initiative
- A Canvas site to introduce students to research opportunities and what research could look like for them
Through each of these programs, IU Undergraduate Research helps facilitate students’ research experiences as ongoing projects that may lead into future research opportunities on campus or in graduate school. Once students get started, IUUR provides support to help them do the best research they possibly can.
IUUR helps students explore their own interests and find what really matters to them. For example, one student was planning to go to medical school and did not think about research as a future career path. They participated in the Arts + Sciences Undergraduate Research Experience (ASURE) and the IUUR STEM Summer Research Program, and it completely changed their career trajectory. That student has just started grad school this fall and now plans to pursue research as a career.
As Melissa notes, “Students come in with preconceived notions about what they want to do and what they’ve been told they should do. Research can open up a whole new avenue for them that they haven’t thought of or didn’t know about. But that only works when students know that these programs exist and that it’s possible for them to participate.”
Melissa’s favorite part of interacting with students is getting to see the lightbulb moment when they realize this future career that they hadn’t thought about is attainable for them. She loves hearing from former students who have gone on to do all sorts of wonderful things and who credit one of the summer research programs as helping them get to where they want to be.
What’s new: multi-year experiential learning initiatives and increased collaboration with other units
Despite funding challenges following the termination of the NSF-LSAMP grant, IU Undergraduate Research remains committed to supporting as many students as possible through transformative research experiences. New strategies and partnerships are currently being developed that will expand research opportunities to STEM and non-STEM students alike, including through the vertically-integrated projects (VIP) initiative. VIPs involve undergraduate students in multi-year, for credit/curricular projects, from sophomores to seniors. The initiative is vertically-integrated, in that faculty members mentor post-docs or grad students, who mentor upper-level undergrads, who mentor lower-level undergrads.
These projects are part of a broader vision of collaborating with other units across campus who have also experienced budget cuts in order to support each other and highlight all the wonderful experiential learning opportunities out there.
If you advise students or interact with them in classes, please get the word out about IUUR, the research ambassadors, and calls for program applications! If you can do one thing to help, please send students with questions about research to IU Undergraduate Research. IUUR is also open to creating joint workshops and collaborating with other units to share resources with students.
Thank you! IU Undergraduate Research is…
Melissa Blunck, Director of Student Programming
Emmanuella Kyllians, Graduate Assistant
Luca Kim, Research Ambassador
Sophie Xanders, Research Ambassador
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