Undergraduate Research Community

About URC

URC AWARDS

2009 Undergraduate Research Presentation Award
Sponsored by the Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences
Amanda Beattie - Baylor University

2007 Undergraduate Research Presentation Awards
Sponsored by the Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences
Mary Ellen Herndon - Baylor University
Ayisha Thompson - University of Maryland-Eastern Shore

2007 Emerging Scholars Awards
Sponsored by Kappa Omicron Nu
Jessica Erin Davis - Auburn University - Human Science Award
Amy Hendricks - Michigan State University - Global Research Award
Sarah Maurer - Eastern Illinois University - Social Justice Award

2005 Undergraduate Research Presentation Awards
Sponsored by the Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences
Christine M. Clark - East Carolina University
Dixie McGary & Anita G. Coleman - Northwest Missouri State University

2003 Undergraduate Research Presentation Awards
Sponsored by the Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences
Caren Rojas - Michigan State University
Anita C. Nash - Texas Tech University

MANUSCRIPT AWARDS FOR VOLUME 7

First Place: Catherine McBride, Stephanie Collins, Connie Bell, 
Casey Quinn, Sheri Lokken Worthy*
Mississippi State University
"Parent's Influence on Children's Weight-Related Behaviors"

Second Place: Rachel Barnett, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Linda K. Crowe*, University of Nebraska-Kearney
"Traditional vs. Electronic Storybooks during Adult-Toddler Interactions"

Third Place: Brittany Gower, Christine E. Hand, and Zachariah K. Crooks
Huntington University
"The Relationship between Stress and Eating in College-Aged Students"

Honorable Mention Manuscripts

Heather Davis, James Madison University
"Gender Gaps in Math and Science Education"

Desiree Raygor & Jenna Osseck, Truman State University
"Use of a Focus Group of Youth in a Juvenile Detention Center to
Recommend Programming Based on the Results of a Developmental Assets Profile"

Debra Lin, The University of Texas-Austin
"Are They Pledging 'I Do' to Virginity Until Marriage? An Examination of the 
Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Abstinence-Only Sexuality Education"

Model Web Site for Participating Institutions
(Texas Tech University)

Calls for Papers/Proposals/Posters

• Undergraduate Papers - Coordinating Council
• Undergraduate Papers: Undergraduate Research Journal
• Undergraduate Papers: URJHS Special Edition on School Bullying
• Undergraduate Papers: Conclave
• Undergraduate Papers: URC

Undergraduate Research Rubrics

Undergraduate research is becoming more important in higher education as evidence is accumulating that clear, inquiry-based learning, scholarship, and creative accomplishments can and do foster effective, high levels of student learning. This curricular innovation includes identifying a concrete investigative problem, carrying out the project, and sharing findings with peers.

• Undergraduate Research Manuscript Rubric
• Undergraduate Research Paper Rubric
• Undergraduate Research Creative Project Rubric

CUR

Dear Students:

The Council on Undergraduate Research hosts a Registry of Undergraduate Researchers.  The purpose of this registry is to facilitate matchmaking between undergraduates who have research experience and a desire to pursue an advanced degree, with graduate schools seeking high quality students who are well prepared for research.  The Registry is open to students and graduate schools in the fields of Anthropology/Archaeology, Arts/Humanities, Biology/Biochemistry, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Economics, Engineering, Geosciences, Health Professions, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics/ Astronomy, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology.

Any undergraduate may go to www.cur.org/ugreg/ to fill out a simple curriculum vitae form.  There is no charge to the student and records will be made available to bona fide Graduate Schools that contract with CUR for this service.  Organizations or companies seeking the students’ information for other marketing purposes will not be granted access.  Graduate School representatives may contact students to invite applications or visits to the campus and laboratory, or to share information about their research programs and financial support opportunities.
An institution-wide annual subscription fee for access to the entire database is $1,500 and departments can subscribe for $300 on their own for their discipline, if they choose.  Again, there is no cost to you as a student to create a profile.

Graduate schools may provide a link to their websites, and may provide a short description of opportunities, such as research fields and fellowships. It will also be possible for institutions to place an ad on the database website if the content is related to the mission of CUR and the Undergraduate Registry.

We hope that students who are currently in their junior year will register now, but anyone with undergraduate research experience may register at any time.  You will be able to update your listing as appropriate, to include any summer research experience or information about Senior Theses and test scores.  We also welcome submissions by students who are engaged in Masters' Degree programs now but who plan on going on to a PhD program. Just fill out the information on the form including the date you intend to enter a PhD program and your date of completion of your undergraduate degree.  Upload a link to your CV that contains complete information about your MS/MA degree activity (school, subject, thesis topic (if applicable), and advisor).

CUR believes that this service will be a great benefit for both students and graduate schools by narrowing the search for the right match.  So if you are interested in graduate school, please take a moment to register now.  Be sure to include a statement of your research interests, as this will be important for making the match.
Please feel free to contact me, should you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Robin Howard
Senior Director, Membership Services
Council on Undergraduate Research
734 15th St NW, Suite 550, Washington, DC  20005
 (202) 783-4810x203 - (202) 783-4811 fax - robin@cur.org

 

Testimony

• Carol E. Kellett, PhD, Former Dean, College of Human Ecology, Kansas State University

  The undergraduate research initiative exemplifies my philosophy of empowered leadership. The College of Human Ecology at Kansas State University was one of the first to participate in the undergraduate research initiative. Not only does the experience of conducting, presenting, and publishing research support the professional development of undergraduate students, it also empowers faculty mentors to gain leadership skills. For example, one of the students at K-State conducted a study that was presented at the KON Conclave, which the faculty member also attended. The undergraduate research study contributed to the student’s decision to pursue a master’s degree – and the faculty mentor served as the chair of the graduate program committee for the student. The master’s level research was published in the professional journal of the discipline, and won the national award for best graduate research paper that year! The student recently began a doctoral program at another university, and aspires to become a professor. 

2003 URC Undergraduate Research Conference

• The Role of Research & Writing in Career Advancement - Carmel Parker White, Kansas State University, Presenter

2005 URC Undergraduate Research Conference

• Faculty Mentoring of Research
  - Karla Hughes, East Carolina University, Facilitator
• Professionalism, Research & Writing
  - Julia R. Miller, Michigan State University, Presenter

See also:

• "Undergraduate Research" by Elisa Kronish (FastWeb publication) - Discussion of benefits and options
• Sample Letter of Commitment to URC
• Rubric for Evaluating Manuscripts
• Rubric for Evaluating Presentations
• Rubric for Student Learning & Development Outcomes for Undergraduate Research
• CAS Undergraduate Research Standards
• CUR
• NCUR
• Link to How to Write Your Undergraduate Thesis
• Undergraduate Journals & Conferences
• Finding Research Opportunities
• Links to Undergraduate Research Organizations, Conferences, & Resources
• Link to URC APA Guidelines for Authors
• Guidelines for Submissions
• Standards for Evaluating Resources for Citations - NEW
• Style Guides
• A Modified Presubmission Check List
• Link to Purdue University APA Guidelines for Authors
• Write a Winning Abstract
• Tips for Paper Presentations
• Tips for Poster Presentations
• How to Present a Poster
• Student Views on the Value of Undergraduate Presentations
• Undergraduate Research Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 1
• Undergraduate Research Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 2
• Undergraduate Research Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 1
• Undergraduate Research Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1
• Registry of Undergraduate Researchers and Graduate Schools

Don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDF files? Click HERE:

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Undergraduate Research Community for the Human Sciences (URC)

This project will create a framework and community to augment the scholarship of learning and teaching in preparing students for graduate education, the workplace, and responsible citizenship. It will serve as a catalyst for increasing the experiential content of undergraduate education in the human sciences. In other words, this project develops a model to advance both undergraduate student development and a national undergraduate research agenda for the human sciences.

The mission of the Undergraduate Research Community (URC) is a dynamic and pervasive culture of the human sciences for developing the next generation of scholars.

In pursuit of this mission, URC will:

1. Assess undergraduate research models.
2. Identify priority issues for undergraduate research.
3. Create a national undergraduate research conference for the human sciences.
4. Sponsor a peer-reviewed electronic publication for undergraduate research.
5. Establish an electronically connected multi-campus community of undergraduate researchers.
6. Foster integrative, cross-specialization undergraduate research and service learning research projects in addition to traditional research in the specializations.

Vision: 

1. The opportunity to engage in undergraduate research is the norm in human sciences units.
2. Candidates for graduate school are positioned to engage in research.
3. The Participating Institutions have each built their undergraduate research programs to a higher level.
4. The electronic journal selects the best of undergraduate research once a year.
5. The URC Conference rivals other professional meetings for quality.
6. This initiative has stimulated the total research output and makes a measurable contribution to research.

This initiative is sponsored by the Kappa Omicron Nu Leadership Academy in partnership with the Board on Human Sciences, the Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences, the Higher Education Unit of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the 1890 Council of Administrators. The human ecology programs at Michigan State University, Kansas State University, and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore are Institutional Founders and members of the planning team.

Criteria for institutions to qualify as Participating Institutions follow:

1. The unit has an ongoing undergraduate research program or is interested in developing one.
2. The unit will develop a comprehensive plan for faculty development in mentoring undergraduate research.
3. The unit will commit a faculty mentor(s) to a planning conference and share planning tasks, with authorization to make decisions on behalf of the unit.
4. The unit will commit (or reallocate) resources to support students and faculty for the planning conference, the research conference, and the ongoing Undergraduate Research Community and assessment program.

The First URC Planning Conference was held in Chicago, Illinois, January 15-16, 2001.

The first URC Research Conference was held in conjunction with the Kappa Omicron Nu Leadership Conclave at the Grosvenor Resort, Orlando, Florida, August 2-5, 2001. The deadline for submission of undergraduate research papers is June 1 each year.

Institutions may apply for participation in the URC at the beginning of each academic year. 

INVITATION

Human sciences units are hereby invited to apply for status as a Participating Institution of the Undergraduate Research Community for the Human Sciences. Affiliation offers institutions the opportunity to participate in the development of the national structure for building a cadre of undergraduate researchers that will bring credibility to the profession and among the disciplines.

To affiliate with the URC, each unit shall submit a one- or two-page letter of commitment that responds to the criteria for institutions to qualify as a Participating Institution and includes the following:

• Name of Coordinator, including address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
• Sign-off by the Dean and the Provost
• Brief description of present vision and unit plan for implementation of undergraduate research program.

See Sample Letter of Commitment.

OFFICIAL URC CONTACT:

Undergraduate Research Community for the Human Sciences
Dorothy I. Mitstifer, Ph.D.
4990 Northwind Drive, Suite 140
East Lansing, MI 48823-5031
T - 517.351.8335
F - 517.351.8336
E-mail: dmitstifer@kon.org

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SPONSOR:

Kappa Omicron Nu Leadership Academy

PARTNERS:

• Board on Human Sciences, National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges
• Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences
• Higher Education Unit, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
• 1890 Council of Administrators
• Advisory Committee

• Julia R. Miller, Michigan State University

• Virginia M. Moxley, Kansas State University

• Shirley Hymon-Parker, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore

• Dorothy I. Mitstifer, Kappa Omicron Nu

• Richard Lerner, Tufts University

• Peggy S. Meszaros, Virginia Tech

• Gladys Gary Vaughn, F4HN, CSREES, USDA

Institutional Founders:

• Human Ecology, Michigan State University
• Human Ecology, Kansas State University
• Human Ecology, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore

Participating Institutions:

• University of Arizona, Family & Consumer Sciences
• Ashland University, Family & Consumer Sciences
• Ball State University, Family & Consumer Sciences
• Bradley University, Family & Consumer Sciences
• Brigham Young University, Family Life
• California State, Fullerton, Kinesiology & Health Science
• California University of Pennsylvania, Athletic Training
• Connecticut, University of, Dietetics Program, Allied Health
• East Carolina University, Human Environmental Sciences
• Florida State University, Human Sciences
• Georgia, University of, Family & Consumer Sciences
• Iowa State, Family & Consumer Sciences
• Kentucky, University of, Human Environmental Sciences
• Memphis, University of, Consumer Science & Education
• Nebraska-Lincoln, University of, Human Resources & Family Sciences
• North Carolina, Greensboro, University of, Human Environmental Sciences
• North Dakota State, Human Development/Education
• Northern Illinois University, Family/Consumer/Nutrition
• Northwest Missouri State, Family & Consumer Sciences
• Ohio State University, Human Ecology
• Oklahoma State, Human Environmental Sciences
• Penn State, Health and Human Development
• Tennessee Technological University, Human Ecology
• Texas A&M-Kingsville, Human Sciences
• Texas Tech, Human Sciences
• Utah State University, College of Family Life
• Virginia Tech, Liberal Arts & Human Sciences
• Washington State, Human Sciences
• West Virginia University, Family & Consumer Sciences