Undergraduate Research
G E N E R A L E D U C AT I O N C E N T R E
H O N G K O N G P O LY T E C H N I C U N I V E R S I T Y
13 APRIL 2012
RICHARD MACK, PHD
FULBRIGHT PROFESSOR
H O N G K O N G P O LY T E C H N I C U N I V E R S I T Y
Undergraduate Research
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Define UGR
UGR: Importance in U.S. and PolyU
Benefits
Funding
Some Tips for Students
Four Examples of UGR
A Little Interaction
Defining Undergraduate Research: Activities
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UGR is not just test tubes and
microscopes
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Examples of UGR scholarship include
scientific, historical, literary, or
educational research, as well as
creative writing, musical and theatrical
performance, or artistic composition.
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What else? Creative arts, design,
performances, exhibitions engineering
projects, business plans
Presentation and Dissemination of UGR
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Journal articles and book chapters
Conference presentations
Poster sessions
Exhibits
Performances
Literary works
U.S. National Importance
Two National Organizations
And from PolyU’s Web pages:
Home > Teaching & Learning > New 4-Year Undergraduate Curriculum
Promotion of a research and innovation culture
As an university with a focus on applied research, PolyU plans to involve undergraduates in research
related to their subject studies so as to enhance their interest in those subjects and their motivation
for study. Seminars conducted by outstanding researchers will also be organized to provide students
with an opportunity to know more about advanced research and innovative projects, thereby
enhancing their interest in research and innovation.
See
http://www.polyu.edu.hk/cpa/polyu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=63
FOUR Models for Undergraduate Research
1.) The traditional model, in which an undergraduate joins a
professor’s ongoing research project
• Good option for new faculty (consider your career
stage)
• Increases speed of which research can be conducted
• Brings new perspective to your research
• Often increases the probability of funding
2.) The consultant model, in which an undergraduate
conducts a largely independent project with a professor’s
guidance
• Students gain ownership
• Increases student confidence
FOUR Models for Undergraduate Research
3.) The joint-creation model, in which a student and the
professor launch a new project together
• May be a steep learning curve
4.) The student group research model: inter-student
mentoring
• Students learn interpersonal research skills, often the
hard way
Benefits to Students
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Retention
Higher probability of entering grad programs
Increased creative abilities
Increased understanding, confidence, awareness,
enthusiasm
Students experience inter-person working
relationships
Resume-building
Experience active vs. passive learning
Enhance self-directed learning skills
Benefits to Faculty
• Creativity
• Personal satisfaction
• Utilize creativity to modify the learning culture
• Publications, presentations
• Funding
Benefits to the Institution
• Accomplishment of institutional mission
• Visibility
• Reputation as being both student focused
and research focused
• Research funding
Searching for Funding
Keywords:
• “Undergraduate Research Grants”
• “Undergraduate Research Fellowships”
• “Undergraduate Research Scholarships”
RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL GENERAL RESEARCH FUND
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
“With a view to providing research experience for undergraduate
students, the RGC has put in place the following arrangements:
• to set aside a total of HK$2 million annually within the GRF budget for the
provision of monthly allowance to undergraduate students to support their
participation in GRF research projects; and
• to allow Principal Investigators (PIs) to include the provision of a monthly
allowance of up to $2,500 to an undergraduate student helper…
In this connection, the institutions have also agreed to provide same
amount of allowance to the students as the RGC on a matching basis
….”
Source: http://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/doc/rgc/form/undergraduate_06_11.pdf
Caltech-Hong Kong Undergraduate
Research Fellowships Program
http://www.sfp.caltech.edu/exchange/hong-kong/index.html
Information for Caltech Students
Application Process:
Caltech will nominate up to three students to participate in the Caltech-HKURF
exchange. Preference will be given to those who are not from Hong Kong or
students of Hong Kong descent seeking to spend the summer at home.
Students may be matched with a faculty mentor from one of several
schools:
• Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• University of Hong Kong
Caltech-Hong Kong Undergraduate
Research Fellowships Program
Information for Non-Caltech Students
• Up to three Hong Kong students will be nominated by
the Caltech Alumni Association (Hong Kong
Chapter). Interested students should complete and
submit an application, personal statement, three letters
and recommendation, and an official transcript by
January 2011, to the Caltech-HK Alumni Association. For
more information go to http://www.cubicam.com/ or email
Roger Ng at rkn@alumni.caltech.edu
And at HKPolyU ??
• Any programs known for their UGR?
• Is UGR common on an individual basis?
• Any student UGR conferences?
Competitions?
• Grants for students?
• Rewards for faculty working at UGR?
Getting started as an undergraduate researcher
• Step 1: Define your research interests
• Step 2: Identify your potential mentors
• Step 3: Meet with your list of potential
mentors
• Step 4: Select a mentor, select a project and
start working
Step 1: Define your research interests
Ask the following questions:
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Which subject areas most interest you?
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Which topics in your classes interest you?
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Do you have a specific project in mind or do you
want to acquire a set of skills?
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You need to be very excited about working on a
research project. Don’t do it just to build your
résumé or earn academic credit.
Step 2: Identify your potential mentors
• Ask your faculty adviser, your class instructors and
teaching assistants for names of faculty members who are
doing scholarly work in your area of interest.
• Ask other students in your department about the research
projects they work on with mentors.
• Browse program, unit and division Web sites and research
center Web sites.
• Attend departmental and campus seminars to learn about
new areas of research.
• If a class topic inspires you, discuss your interest with the
professor after class.
Step 3: Meet with potential mentors
• Make an appointment. Let the faculty members know that you are
interested in their research and would like to find out more about the
possibility of working with them.
• Do your homework. Read all you can about each faculty member
and their research program. Read their published articles. Try to
understand the basic principles of their scholarly work and the
methodologies they use.
• Be prepared. When you arrive for your appointment, bring a copy of
your transcript and a résumé. Explain your research interests.
Explain why you are interested in a research experience and/or in
their particular research program. Give the faculty member an idea
of the amount of time you are able to commit to your research
experience
What questions should I ask the mentor?
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What are the areas of your own research?
Do you have a research project that needs an undergraduate student's help?
How did you get involved in this particular area of research?
Why is your particular area of research important?
Where does funding come from for your research?
What does an undergraduate working with you typically do?
What are some projects previous students have worked on?
Are there any particular skills or characteristics you expect an undergraduate
to have before beginning a project with you?
What are your expectations of undergraduate researchers?
Are there any specific classes you suggest I take?
Are there any books or research articles you suggest I read?
Do you have suggestions of other faculty members for me to talk to?
Step 4: Select a mentor, Define a project and start working
• In multiple iterations, develop a research contract with
the mentor
• Agree to a research schedule and a milestone schedule
of deliverables
• Confirm arrangements for academic credit generation
• Confirm financial arrangements
• Ascertain what arrangements must be made with the
academic bureaucracy and who deals with them
Forthcoming Four Examples
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SOURCE: Symposium on University Research
and Creative Expression
Funded National Science Foundation Field
Research
Capstone Research Course
Federal Reserve Simulation
Example #1: Central Washington University SOURCE
(Symposium on University Research and Creative Expression)
Goals are to:
1. Enhance and promote the discovery-, creativity- and inquirybased scholarship and entrepreneurial talents of students, faculty
and staff at CWU;
2. Commend the diligence and commitment of mentors from
secondary and post-secondary educational institutions and
industry;
3. Cultivate the next generation of research mentors and
professionals;
4. Enhance local, regional and global engagement by building
partnerships between higher education, industry, and government.
SOURCE
There are three standard presentation formats
• Oral presentation: Fifteen minute talk with optional
visual aid, such as PowerPoint.
• Poster presentation: Posters are 3 feet high by 4
feet wide. Authors attend their posters during the
entirety of their respective session.
• Performance: 15 minutes, plus 3 minutes for
audience feedback/questions.
SOURCE Participants 1996-2010
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279
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168
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153
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111
100
78
64
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25
67
31
0
1996
1997
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1999
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2001
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2009
2010
SOURCE 2012
• This year, more than 580 individuals are scheduled to
present approximately 150 oral presentations, 138
poster presentations, 18 creative expression
presentations, 9 business plans, a single reed musical
performance in the evening, and a fashion show.
• Forty-four academic and student life programs are
participating at SOURCE.
• Awards banquet with a Nobel Prize recipient speaker
Presenter
Any questions, thoughts, feedback?
Poster presenter
Example #2: National Science Foundation
research experiences for undergraduates
INTRODUCTION
• International collaborative program in social science
research on water and resource management in rural
northwest China
• Provide first hand research experience and research
training for undergraduate students
• Foster interest in interdisciplinary research
• Develop cultural competence and international
networking
• Advance research and education through international
collaboration
Typical China student trip
Research in rural china
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
• 6-8 week intensive undergraduate research experience on
policy issues involving critical resources in northwestern
China
• International collaborative program involving 2 Chinese
institutions (Shaanxi Normal University and Northwestern
University)
• Multidisciplinary approach
• CWU faculty and students work with Chinese professors and
faculty
• Program involves 16 U.S. undergraduates and 2 graduate
students per year
Four phases
• Phase I - Selection of NSF Student Scholars
• Phase II - Pre-Departure Experience: Research
Preparation and Topic Selection
• Phase III – Field Experience: Research
Undertaken with Appropriate Revision
• Phase - IV Back at CWU: Research Analysis and
Writing Component
Phase I - Selection of NSF Student Scholars
• Participation is encouraged from academically
motivated students in a diversity of fields, especially
within the social sciences, environmental studies, and
Asia/Pacific area studies.
• The group approach is multi-disciplinary, essential for
dealing with environmental change and mitigation.
• Students entering their junior and senior years are
eligible.
Phase II - Pre-Departure Experience:
Research Preparation and Topic Selection
• Working with CWU faculty/mentors,
• Students prepare for their Chinese field experience by
means of in-depth exposure to recent economic changes in
northwest China and the resulting environmental challenges.
• By the end of the period, each student research team
completes a preliminary literature review and develops a
research proposal.
• Additional background lectures on Chinese politics and
society, etiquette, social science methodologies, and ethics
in science are incorporated.
Phase III - Field Research
in Xi’an, Qinghai, & Gansu, China
• Participants engage in field research with academics and
graduate students from Shaanxi Normal University,
Northwest University of China, and Qinghai University for
Nationalities.
• Initial research takes place in the city of Xi’an, but also
includes considerable work in rural villages throughout the
provinces.
• Campus lectures, on-site visits, interviews, village studies,
and other primary research activities in both cities and rural
villages are facilitated by local interpreters.
Phase - IV Back at CWU:
Research Analysis and Writing Component
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Student Scholars are residents in CWU campus
housing.
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During this period scholars meet regularly with
mentors and prepare final research reports.
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Student work culminates with an oral presentation, a
contractor report, and the first draft of a journal article
Northwest China’s Loess Plateau
Strategic Location of Northwest China
• Cradle of Chinese civilization historically; the
hinterland of the nation today
Fragile ecosystem
• Meeting place of the Gobi Desert and the Yellow
River Loess Plateau
• One of the most erosive climates in the world
Great Western Development Strategy and its impact
since 1999
Shortage of scholarship on rural China
CHINA’S LOESS PLATEAU
CHINA’S LOESS PLATEAU
CHINA’S LOESS PLATEAU
Topics
Papers for 2009-2010
• Deep ecology in shallow waters: Environmental problems and their
societal effects in northwestern China
Tyler Anderson: Central Washington University, Alina Scalora: The
University of Kansas, Alex Schmidt: St. Olaf College
Mentoring Professor: Dr. Hong Xiao
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Redrawing Agricultural-Pastoral Boundaries: The Effects of P.R.C.
Water and Agriculture Development Policies in Xunhua County
Yesenia Gallardo, Derek Huls, Marc Janke
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China's Wild Wild West: Exploring the Last Economic Frontier
JohnPaul Bennett, Samantha Cunningham, Jeremy Reddick
Mentoring Professor: Dr. Richard Mack
Example #3: Economics capstone research course
in eight painful steps
• Assemble Student Teams
• Solicit Research from Community: Public Sector,
Private Sector
• Students Interview “Contractee”
• Students Develop Proposal
• Perform Research over 10 weeks
• Write Contractor Report
• Make Presentation
• Multiple Iterations
Student Outcomes
• Enhance proposal writing skills
• Enhance research design and execution skills
• Enhance creative processes
• Enhance presentation and writing skills
• Learn joys & pains of group endeavors
Example #4: Federal reserve bank simulation
Example #4: Federal Reserve Bank Simulation
• Simulation is “Piggybacked” onto Washington State
forecast meetings
• Eight universities each formed teams of six students and
one mentoring professor
• The Federal Reserve Bank emailed files of scenarios and
data to each team
• Each university team debated policy recommendations for
three meetings prior to the simulation
• Each team presented its recommendation before a team of
Fed judges (Janet Yellen, President of San Francisco FED)
• Awards and press coverage
You are invited to consider PolyU’s future
Please form groups of students and faculty
• Students will discuss:
What I learned (or want to learn) from research.
Possible obstacles to establishing a research agenda.
Your interest in a SOURCE-type day of UGR.
• Faculty will discuss:
How can we effectively involve undergraduates in research?
• Specifically:
A SOURCE-type day of UGR?
Merging the concept of service learning with research?
Multidisciplinary simulations?
Questions
Comments
ctmack@inet.polyu.edu.hk