We as faculty also must be responsible for improving the research environment at our institutions. For example, many libraries at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) do not have subscriptions to key scientific journals. This must be considered when assigning scientific literature research projects to students. We should petition our institutions to contribute additional funds to procure the journals or we can provide students with websites that offer free access to full-text journal articles. The scientific disciplines also can form partnerships with industry, as has been done through the Merck/American Association for the Advancement of Science Undergraduate Science Research Program.3 Research opportunities also can be incorporated into the curriculum in the form of coursework, independent studies, and apprenticeships in research. One limitation of a program that requires frequent and intense faculty-student interaction is the difficulty of staffing. This can be assuaged if faculty are enthusiastic about serving as mentors and if they ...
Promoting Undergraduate Research in Science
Many students are interested in majoring in biology because they liked it in high school or because they have plans to attend medical school. But when majoring in science, discouragement can set in when faced with the daunting task of memorizing many facts, which are frequently forgotten once the course is over. Today's student often feels bored and/or intimidated by science. While classroom instruction pursues the goal of critical thinking, the actual performing of research is what requires co
Written byReginald Halaby
| 5 min read
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