"One of the main things I found useful was why there’s a need for undergraduate research. Expert faculty members mentioned how research develops skills that, when transferable, are intrinsically important to prosper in any career. It pointed my attention to the possibility we don’t do research the right way and that’s consequently why we don’t think we need it. Since research skills are, by definition, transferable, I will try to apply whatever I learn from it to other areas of work. And since “inquiry is messy” as one panel member said, starting it young is my best shot to learn."
Reem Mahmoud, Mechanical Engineering Freshman
This gives the student the opportunity to contribute to education and prepares them for a mentality of lifelong learning. The perspective was completely new to me and greatly affected how I had previously thought of research as more of a chore. It had, in a matter of a few short seconds turned into an exciting journey that I wanted to embark on to further myself and contribute to the knowledge of others. I began seeing research as a gateway to explore all the questions in my head and make sense of the world around me. As the discussion went on, I learned that some students publish their work in academic journals and suddenly the ideas that seemed so unattainable became so close to reach. I learned a lot from the symposium, not only about its main focus, undergraduate academic research, but I learned how to better lead a civilized conversation with the collective goal of advancement and how to focus on improving the efforts being made instead of just applauding them. I do wish that the timeframe would have allowed for more discussion and more commentary, however that being said, it was an overall enriching experience that has inspired me to delve into research."
Hanaa El Sammak, Undergraduate Sophomore
"The exchange started by an attempt to both define and describe the extent of the undergraduate research present within the various branches of education. And although all valid and true, I could best resonate with the definition provided by the professor of anthropology that was, in part, representative of social sciences. As he views it, Undergraduate research is a way to free the student of their somewhat fixed role as a recipient of knowledge, and instead allow and empower them to create and search for knowledge themselves.
28
Download Presentation
Download Presentation