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Outlook
Our readers may have noticed how often undergraduates make up part of a featured research team. Undergrads have done research in our own back yard—the Shawnee National Forest—and as far away as Antarctica. They often find these experiences transformative (e.g., see the video at www.siu.edu/~msc/recent_scholars.html), and their contributions are invaluable.
SIUC has developed a robust portfolio of research programs for undergraduates. REACH (Research-Enriched Academic Challenge) provides students small grants to carry out their own project under a faculty mentor's guidance. The federally funded McNair Scholars Program includes a research institute to help prepare first-generation-college/low-income and underrepresented minority students for doctoral study. Our new Saluki Research Rookies Program will involve high-achieving freshmen in research (see "Newbies with a Cause"). Although not strictly a research program, SIUC's unique undergraduate assistantship program annually enables well over 100 students to conduct research with faculty. Finally, many undergraduates are introduced to research as student workers on grants.
This issue describes how a faculty member and a McNair Scholar designed a research/outreach program to prevent Type 2 diabetes in youngsters; nearly two dozen undergraduates have helped with this project. Several other articles also feature undergraduate accomplishments or note undergraduate involvement. To learn about some other recent student research activities, visit www.siu.edu/~reach/tabloid.html.
We consider research the highest form of teaching/learning, and we are committed to offering that opportunity to as many of our students as possible. It enriches their future. To that end, we are working toward establishing an endowment to support undergraduate research. Friends of the University will hear more about this effort as it evolves.
John A. Koropchak
Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean
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