For Students

 

Conducting Research as an Undergraduate
What’s In It For You?
Eligibility & Program Requirements
Getting Started
Presenting Your Research
FAQs
Workshops

 

 

Conducting Research as an Undergraduate

LAS defines undergraduate research as mentored, self-directed work through which students explore a topic of interest and share the results of their work in accordance with disciplinary standards; therefore research projects may include a wide range of activities, including systematic inquiry and creative activity.* Depending on your project, your work as an Undergraduate Research Assistant could involve helping with lab work, literature reviews, experiments, fieldwork, archival searches, document review, mapping, statistics, and more. While conducting research, students can expect to meet consistently with their Faculty Mentor throughout the semester and to spend 6-10 hours per week working on their research project.

 

 

What’s In It For You?

Doing research makes you better prepared for what happens in and out of the classroom. It gives you the opportunity to learn more-about yourself and the world-than you would in your normal coursework. In addition, studies show that when students conduct research, they:

• feel more confident about their ability to do research and think like a scholar
• develop strong working relationships with peers and professors
• develop their communication skills, including reading, writing, and presenting their findings
• gain clarity about post-college career plans

In addition, conducting research outside of the classroom strengthens your resume and record of achievements. These are valuable benefits, whether you are working now, plan to apply to graduate or professional school, or intend to work immediately after graduation.

 

 

Eligibility & Program Requirements

In order to participate in the LASURI program, a student must:

1. be officially enrolled as a full-time student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
2. have completed at least 24 credit hours at UIC
3. have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5

Because research projects vary widely in their scope, topic, and format, LASURI students will participate in a broad range of research activities. However, all LASURI participants must:

1. establish a research partnership with a faculty mentor in LAS
2. conduct research and submit a final product to their mentor
3. present their research in a public forum
4. submit an abstract to the LASURI Abstract Archive

 

 

Getting Started

1. Search the online  Undergraduate Research Experience website to find LAS faculty mentors. To learn more about faculty members’ research projects, browse their Research  Profiles. You can use the browse function at the top of the main page to confine your search to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or search for specific faculty or researchers in specific departments. Academic advisors, Directors of Undergraduate Studies and your course instructors are also good sources of information about potential faculty mentors.
2. When you fill out the form on the URE website, an email will automatically be sent to the faculty mentor with your information. If the faculty mentor is interested in working with you, an interview will help you and the faculty member decide if you are a good fit for one another. They are also an opportunity for you to find out more about the research project and the faculty member's expectations. Faculty Mentors have the final say in selecting Undergraduate Research Assistants.
3. Work with your Faculty Mentor to design an interesting and feasible project for you to complete as an undergraduate research assistant.  A good strategy is to print a copy of the LASURI application and take it with you to your meeting with the faculty member. Make sure you understand what work you will be doing, what the larger goals of the study are and how your research will fit into those goals.  A student’s ability to describe his or her research project and explain its goals is an important part of the selection process.
4. Clarify your Faculty Mentor's expectations of you. Your experience will be far more productive and enjoyable if you and your mentor both understand and agree to the parameters of the project before the work begins. Make sure you both have a clear idea of what work you will be doing, how many hours a week you will be working, and where you will present it at the end of the semester.
5. Complete the application by the March 5, 2012 deadline. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to learn about, contact, and meet with various professors before the application due date.

If you are chosen to participate in LASURI, you should inform your Faculty Mentor and confirm a start date for your work the following fall. LASURI projects are intended to be carried out during the academic year (not during the summer).

 

 

Presenting Your Research

Once you have completed your research project, your final task is to present your work in a public forum and submit an abstract to LASURI. Students are expected to present at the UIC Student Research Forum. Students may also discuss their work at department colloquia, at national undergraduate research conferences, and at professional conferences. If you will be unable to present your work at the UIC Student Research Forum, permission from both your Faculty Mentor and the LASURI committee is needed to substitute an alternate venue.

 

 

FAQs - for students

Do I have to have research experience to participate?
Not at all! All full-time LAS undergraduates in good academic standing and who have earned at least 24 semester hours with a minimum 2.5 GPA are eligible to participate.

How many times can I participate in the program?
We encourage you to continue your research partnership over several semesters. However, LASURI funds are generally limited to one year. Students who want to continue working on the same project with the same faculty member, may reapply, but we urge you to apply for other scholarships or register for course credit instead.

What if I want to work on my own project, rather than a faculty member's project?
The purpose of LASURI is to facilitate productive research partnerships between professors and undergraduates. Mentors and URAs are free to work together on any project they so wish, as long as the basic program requirements of active mentorship, research activity, and research presentation are met.

What if a faculty member has already agreed to work with me?
Lucky you! Proceed directly to the LASURI student application.  Your faculty mentor does not have to be listed on the URE website.

How can I use my award funds?
Your award will be automatically applied to any outstanding balance on your student account and any remaining money willbe released to you. A project research budget fund will be sent to your Faculty Mentor’s department to help cover the costs of the research project.

 

 

Citations

* http://www.unc.edu/depts/our/