Cathryn Newton (center), senior advisor to the Chancellor and provost for faculty engagement, with student research mentors (from left) Myles Morgan, Chuck Schauer, Jordan Barrett and Colleen Ferguson at the SOURCE dedication event in Bird Library.
Bird Library鈥檚 Peter Graham Scholarly Commons was filled with an animated collection of students, faculty and administrators last Thursday evening. The standing-room-only crowd gathered for the dedication of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 new Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement, which will be known as The SOURCE.
Kate Hanson, previously the deputy director of the Ren茅e Crown University Honors Program, will direct the office. “Engaging in sustained work that seeks to answer questions, solve problems, contribute to the community, or create something innovative is often one of the most challenging and most rewarding pieces of a student鈥檚 college experience,” Hanson said. “The SOURCE will provide a nexus of community, support, resources, and collaboration around undergraduate research and creative work.”
The crowd鈥檚 positive energy flowed from years of planning, proposals, vision-sharing and hard work. It culminated in a multifaceted program and dedicated space where undergraduate research and creative exploration can flourish. The University has made a $1 million annual commitment to support this endeavor with resources from the Invest 黑料不打烊 initiative鈥攁n investment that will bolster 黑料不打烊鈥檚 reputation as a student-focused research university.
鈥淚鈥檓 so thrilled that this happened in my lifetime!鈥� exclaimed Ramesh Raina, professor and chair of the Department of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, who was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition. 鈥淯ndergraduate research was a game changer for me,鈥� he said, sharing his excitement about the possibilities for current and future students.
Kate Hanson
Raina鈥檚 sentiment was echoed by speakers who shared memories of the powerful impact their own undergraduate research experiences had on their lives and careers. These included Chancellor Kent Syverud and Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly. 鈥淐reative inquiry and collaboration is what we need in the world today,鈥� said Wheatly, adding, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how you build a Chancellor and a provost!鈥�
鈥淚n my junior year of college,聽I received funding for a research project with roots in a geography course. That experience showed me how to take what I was learning in the classroom into the wider world and set me on a path that led to where I am today,鈥� recalled Jamie Winders, professor and chair of the Department of Geology in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences.
“The SOURCE is going to be an amazing place for students to find something that they鈥檙e passionate about and fall even more in love with it,” said Student Association President Ghufran Salih. “Students are really going to be able to challenge themselves to grow and thrive from the research they do. The SOURCE will also allow for students from marginalized communities as well as students with limited opportunity to pursue research a platform where they can have this chance to get funding and have a faculty mentor and make this community better. I am so excited for this endeavor, and it has truly been an honor to be a part of.”
A team effort
Cathryn Newton, senior advisor to the Chancellor and provost for faculty engagement, spoke about the profound impact this new initiative will have at 黑料不打烊 in creating opportunities and providing resources and guidance for generations of students. 鈥淭oday,鈥� she said, 鈥渨e honor these intrepid souls, as well as the dazzling new program that is your work. The SOURCE will be a lasting tribute to your creative vision, your uncommon perseverance, and to that 黑料不打烊 moxie that embodies us at our very best.鈥�
Newton led the effort to create The SOURCE, with help from the Student Association, the University Senate Research Committee, the Ren茅e Crown University Honors Program, the Center for Fellowship & Scholarship Advising, and University faculty. Colleagues in the Office of Research, the Provost鈥檚 office and a transition team including Barry Wells, special assistant to the Chancellor, and Maura Ivanick led the development of The SOURCE with Newton.
The SOURCE鈥檚 focus on undergraduate discovery, innovation, student success, and commitment to diversity and inclusion aligns with many goals of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Academic Strategic Plan. Student applicants have submitted more than 135 proposals for funding from the program. These applications are being reviewed for summer research grants of $2,800 and 聽academic year project grants of up to $5,000 for research beginning in fall 2019.
Research grants and student mentors
Tiffany Tang and Jinzhi Cai, first-year students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, 聽submitted a grant proposal to construct an autonomous underwater聽robot that can support a variety of sensors for measuring water quality.
鈥淚t is encouraging to pursue something I am curious and enthusiastic about,鈥� said Jinzhi, a computer engineering major from from Guangzhou, China. 鈥淚 have a lot of questions that this research gives me a chance to answer and offer solutions, to accomplish a project that has been on my mind since grade school.鈥�
鈥淔or me, this opportunity is a chance to see what I can do when handed the wheel,鈥� said Tang, an aerospace engineering major from Cupertino, California. 鈥淗aving a research project where the objectives are highly influenced by what I want to learn about is self-motivating.鈥�
Myles Morgan, a junior biology major from Marietta, Georgia, who conducts his own research in neuroscience, will serve as a student research mentor for The SOURCE. Morgan cut the ribbon to a new, dedicated space on the library鈥檚 second floor where students can connect with mentors like himself who will assist them in their chosen research paths.
Newton pointed out that furniture and walls, while helpful, cannot alone fulfill the mission of this extraordinary venture. 鈥淭he SOURCE, you see, does not live in an office,鈥� she said. 鈥淚ts true life is in the disciplined creativity that comes in the quiet of undergraduates working in a sustained way with faculty. It thus lives in the studios, the stage, the labs鈥攊n the field, the libraries, the seminar rooms鈥攊n our centers abroad and, yes, in the wee hours at the writing desk, when the lights are still on.鈥�
