| A team of A&T faculty members and administrators has developed an action plan to advance the development of the university’s undergraduate research program.
The plan was created at a conference funded by the National Science Foundation, held last month at the University of San Diego. The A&T team consisted of Ms. Nina Exner, reference librarian; Dr. Paula Faulkner, assistant professor in the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education; Dr. Tonya R. Hargett, interim director of undergraduate research; and Dr. Marcia Williams, director of STEM/sponsored programs in the College of Engineering. They were selected as the team to represent A&T by the Council of Undergraduate Research, a national organization representing over 900 colleges and universities.
The institute provided strategies and best practices to institutionalize undergraduate research and connect undergraduate research with other high-impact practices. Each team developed an action plan for their institution under the direction of experienced facilitators who have successfully developed research programs within their departments, institutions, regions, and at the national level.
The next step for the plan developed by the A&T team will be a review by Provost Joe Whitehead and Vice Chancellor Barry Burks of the Division of Research and Economic Development.
Students find many benefits from participating in research, among them:
- One-on-one faculty interaction,
- Hands-on experience in a field of their choice,
- A safe place for intellectual risk-taking,
- Understanding and applying research methods and ethics while creating new knowledge,
- Enhancing professional communication skills,
- Clarifying their academic, career, and personal interests, and
- Exploring potential careers
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