Lexington, KY - Many people think undergraduate research takes place in musty, old laboratories far removed from mainstream campus life. But if the new director of undergraduate research at the University of Kentucky has her way, you'll see and hear more about exciting, relevant undergrad research taking place in every department, from fine arts to sports.
"One goal is to encourage public awareness of UK undergraduate research, so I'll be doing many speaking engagements and activities to bring awareness that undergraduate research is in full force and that we have some amazing students," said Diane Snow, Ph.D., who is also the endowed professor, neuroscience, at the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center.
Snow emphasized that research can be conducted in every area on campus.
"Anything that you can name," she said. "Take history, for example. You can look at the formation of dry stone walls in the region. We only seem to think of research as taking place in the sciences, math and technology, but there are many more opportunities."
Snow said there's now so much undergrad research occurring on campus that "it needs someone to provide the umbrella so that the right hand knows what the left hand is doing."
Since 2000, UK has run an undergraduate research program for first- and second-year students. They join the campus research community while working alongside research faculty. These students work voluntarily an average of 10 hours per week for the fall and spring semesters. The office of undergraduate research provides some of the necessary funding.
Recently, UK announced that university-wide research awards, grants and contracts received through its research foundation for fiscal year 2010 totaled $338 million, up 32 percent from a year ago. The biggest gains came from federal funding, where UK faculty and staff successfully competed for $227 million. At least a quarter of the funding came from federal stimulus dollars.
Some talented future researchers are arriving on UK's campus from advanced high schools that introduce students to basic research, such as Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, "where there is an extraordinary math, science and technology program," said Snow. "These students get great opportunities to try lab techniques and learn about bench science. When they come here, they hit the ground running - doing research in laboratories under the mentorship of established people. I myself have had six from Dunbar High."
Snow has given some new students their own independent projects, which produced data that was published.
Jim Tracy, UK's vice president for research, operated a lab for more than 25 years and had a team of undergraduates assisting him regularly.
"The notion that students should come to college just to go to class and read out of textbooks doesn't give them chance to see if research is really in their future," he said.
Tracy admitted that sometimes students come to a lab and find that research isn't their thing, or "you find somebody with real talent and they go on to graduate school or medical school and develop professional careers in research," said Tracy. "Whatever disciplines people are working in, it's about discovering new knowledge, breaking new ground and putting it to work to benefit mankind."
Tracy said undergraduates receive a much better education if they get close to what's going on in the field they're interested in.
"Once you've tasted research and have the bug, you'll want to do more. Our goal is to raise the educational profile in Kentucky," he concluded.
Snow intends to recruit more UK faculty to mentor students interested in research. Her champion mentor as a student was Jerry Silver, a professor of neurosciences at Case Western University in Cleveland.
"He was so enthusiastic about his science," she said. "He was studying spinal cords. I really became turned on by it all and entered his lab as a graduate student."
As for UK faculty, Snow said she will show them that having students participate is beneficial and not hard to do.
"Some might think it's a time drain because students are young and require more training. But in the long run, they add depth and breadth to a laboratory or department and enrich the experience for everyone involved. Maybe faculty will then see the science with fresh eyes," said said.
Young researchers with excellent university experiences could have something special to offer potential employers.
"They will have coming to them young people incredibly trained and with experience under their belts by the time they come looking for a first job," she said. "Their ability to advance Kentucky at the business level will be extreme."
Asked to give her best 30-second research "elevator speech" to potential UK students, Snow concluded: "UK is incredibly supportive of undergraduate research. Data shows that students involved in undergraduate research have a much more rewarding experience and are more likely to stay in school and do well. It's an enriching experience from start to finish."