Fall 2008 Perspectives Magazine: Newbies with a Cause

Perspectives: Research and Creative Activities at SIUC, Fall 2008

:: research survey ::

Newbies with a Cause

Freshmen are joining in the hands-on research usually reserved for upperclassmen, graduate students, and faculty under a new SIUC program.

Called the Saluki Research Rookies Program, the initiative will give the new students a chance to experience the excitement of discovering new knowledge while introducing them more quickly to the nuts and bolts of their chosen majors.

"We were looking for a way for the University to engage freshmen in research," says program director Julia Spears in the Office of Research Development and Administration. "We've seen there are huge benefits, both personal and academic, when a student gets involved in a discipline like this. It brings to life what they're learning in the classroom and helps them make connections" with faculty and more-experienced students.

For several years SIUC has developed more research opportunities for undergraduates through such programs as REACH (which provides them small research grants), the federally funded McNair Scholars Program (which includes research to prepare first-generation/low-income and underrepresented minority students for doctoral study), and undergraduate assistantships, many of which are research-oriented. Research Rookies is another such effort.

John Koropchak, vice chancellor for research and dean of the graduate school, says getting students involved in research early on motivates them, stimulates curiosity and original thinking, and provides valuable experience.

Spears, who also directs SIUC's McNair program, says one reason she pushed for the program was feedback from those students, who are upperclassmen: "They would always say how they wished they could have gotten into something like (McNair Scholars) sooner."

After an orientation this fall, 18 students chosen for the first class of Research Rookies were paired with faculty mentors. Together each duo is designing a research project for the student to conduct in spring under the mentor's direction. Students will receive an initial $150 book allowance and earn a $350 scholarship if they successfully complete the program.

—by Tim Crosby