UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SUMMER

INSTITUTE (URSI)

Summary: An Undergraduate Research summer Institute (URSI) at IUK will enrich undergraduate teaching and learning at Indiana University Kokomo by promoting opportunities for students to experience, firsthand, the processes of scholarly exploration and discovery that characterize academic life; to assist the professional efforts of the college's faculty; and, through the process of inquiry, to facilitate in the development of independence and confidence in our students. It is ultimately hoped that these experiences will serve to foster the pursuit of advanced academic study on behalf of these students especially, wherever possible, under-represented women and minority candidates.

Statement of Need: Talented students need to be provided with challenging investigational, open-ended academic experiences which serve to promote their creativity, independence and confidence; experiences which enrich undergraduate teaching and learning by promoting opportunities for students to discover firsthand the processes of scholarly exploration that characterize the academic life. Such a need would be satisfied at IUK through the establishment of an Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) - an institute that would link talented undergraduates with IUK faculty as collaborative partners in the pursuit of a research scholarly, or creative activity. The benefits of such an enterprise to the students, faculty and college are obvious. Ultimately, however, it is hoped that this program will serve to encourage these talented students to pursue a future career as a member of the higher education professorate.

The Indiana University Kokomo Faculty Development and Grants Committee (FDGC) is charged with the ongoing responsibility to review and recommend to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) regarding funding for undergraduate research proposals. The specific duties related to this charge include the following:

Review and recommend to the VCAA on funding for Undergraduate summer research Institute proposals.
Review and recommend on academic year undergraduate research proposals submitted by faculty and students. These proposals will require the prior approval of department/division/school administrators. The maximum support for these proposals is $1,000. the FDGC is asked to keep these awards consistent with the URSI statement of needs and project objectives statement.

Project Objectives:

1. To develop "a sense of inquiry" on behalf of student participants;

2. To provide investigational, "open-ended experiences" for students in order to build their independence and confidence;

3. To provide an academic, credit bearing, employment opportunity for students in the summer,

4. To attract talented students into professional careers as college professors; and,

5. To provide IUK faculty with a collaborative, professional development opportunity in the summer.

Statement of Methodology/Timetable/Activities/Personnel:

1. A maximum of ten faculty/student teams (with hopefully one, minimally, from each academic unit at IUK) will be solicited.

2. Faculty participants will receive a small stipend of $500 for the coordination of their student research colleague during the summer.

3. Selected student participants will be provided with a stipend of $500 for the ten week activity;

4. It will be the responsibility of the faculty supervisor to insure that the expectations of the student project are reasonable and achievable within the allotted time-frame of the URSI program.

5. A waiting list will be established of additional, worthy, URSI proposals, in case approval projects are canceled for any reason.

6. At least two meetings will be held with URSI participants: one at the onset of the summer for a collective sharing of each team's research proposal; the second, at midsummer for a progress report on the work and results obtained to that date.

7. Academic Affairs will publish and communicate the results of the URSI teams in a symposium to be held in the Fall for all faculty/students at IUK through a combination of poster/formal paper sessions with URSI participants. (NB. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, will not only be responsible for this event, but will also coordinate all aspects of the URSI program.

8. All URSI participants will be encouraged to present and/or publish their project and its findings through some suitable, professional forum and/or publication.