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Sophomore Summer Panel Highlights Undergraduate Research Program

Students, faculty, and alumni all agree—undergraduate research is one of the finest learning and teaching experiences at Dartmouth. Parents visiting the College for Sophomore Family Weekend can hear more about this increasingly popular academic option at a panel discussion with three faculty members on Saturday, July 28.

The panelists at "Undergraduate Research and the Dartmouth Experience: Getting the Most Out of a Dartmouth Undergraduate Education"—visiting assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences Megan Steven; chemistry department research associate Anita Prasad; and assistant professor of classics Paul Christesen—will share experiences they've had while working with students on independent research projects and discuss the importance of those projects to students. Katharine Conley, professor of French and Italian and associate dean of humanities, will serve as moderator.

According to Conley, undergraduate research in the humanities can take the form of an independent study, a research paper, or an honors thesis, while in the sciences it generally involves lab or fieldwork. Funding needs "vary tremendously," she says,. "Some requests are for as little as $3,000, which is about average for a student to stay in Hanover during an off-term, use the library, and work one-on-one with a professor on a research project." At the other end of the scale is a funding request she reviewed last year from a student whose Korean grandfather had practiced a certain kind of martial art reported to have healing qualities. Says Conley, "The student was eager to go to Korea and had identified some elderly specialists in that particular practice to interview for her senior thesis."

According to Margaret Funnell, assistant dean for undergraduate research in the Dean of Faculty Office, Dartmouth spends approximately $500,000 a year to fund undergraduate research projects. "Students see the value of research opportunities with faculty, so they are really seeking out these opportunities," she says. "The number of students funded has been going up quite substantially for the past two or three years."

Funnell notes that increased funding for undergraduate research is one of the goals of the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience (Dartmouth's current capital campaign). "Alumni love the idea of students working one-on-one with faculty because in a perfect world, that's the best way to learn."

Conley echoes that observation. "Because donors have been very enthusiastic and generous about offering funding, we've been able to fund most of the student research projects."

As faculty, Conley understands first-hand the appeal that undergraduate research projects hold for professors. "The faculty are active in their research and scholarly life. They bring enthusiasm and excitement to the classroom about their work, and students pick up on this and want to do it themselves," she says. "It's a pattern of emulating the faculty who have inspired them.

"It's also a way of establishing an intellectual bond with a professor that professors usually respond to extremely positively," she adds. "Students come to learn from professors who care about what they do, and typically a shared interest emerges. It's in the sophomore year that those relationships really begin."

The panel discussion will be held from 2-3 p.m., followed by a reception from 3-3:30, on Saturday, July 28, in Room 41 of Haldeman Center. No need to register and... the building is air-conditioned.