Center foster undergraduate research

As tour guides tote prospective freshmen around campus this fall, they'll be highlighting the perks of attending a research-based institution. But in recent years, students seeking valuable field experience have been hampered by poor communication within the University's extensive research community. But with the recent establishment of the Undergraduate Research Resource Center, students may finally gain easy access to faculty, departmental and external research opportunities. Temporarily housed in Houston Hall and open Monday and Thursday afternoons from 2 to 5 p.m., the center encourages students to engage in active learning outside the classroom by exploiting the University's research community. Although College of Arts and Sciences Associate Director and center Coordinator Larry Friedman characterized the center's current situation as one of "transition and implementation," he expressed confidence that it will begin "full-fledged" operation in the upcoming academic year. In addition to providing general advising on research and funding opportunities, the center aims to assist students with proposals and grant applications, coordinate summer research programs and offer links to a number of research directories. The center serves as a "broker" between students and research opportunities, Friedman said, adding that he is in the process of creating special options for work-study students. The center will also emphasize research in the humanities and social sciences, fields often neglected by research-hungry students. "Everyone just assumes that unless you're majoring in the hard-core sciences, there's nothing out there," College sophomore and Dean's Advisory Board member Emily Pollack said. And center Coordinator Melanie Chang, a graduate student in anthropology, stressed that research does not always involve "beakers." "The traditional model of the researcher is someone in a lab with a white coat on? but we are here to serve the entire student community," she said. Chang added that the center will work closely with the student-based research program EFFECT in an effort to foster a community atmosphere for prospective student researchers. The center offers "intimidated" students a "jumping point" from which to navigate the slew of research possibilities available at a large institution, said College senior Camille Henry, a member of the Dean's Advisory Board. Prior to the center's inception, students were reduced to surfing the Benjamin Franklin Scholars program's Web page for research ideas, she added. The establishment of the center stemmed from recommendations made in 1995 by an administrative subcommittee on Research and Scholarly Engagement -- a brain-child of the 21st Century Project initiative. Funded by a recent grant to the University from the Pew Charitable Trust, the center's estimated budget for the current fiscal year totals $35,000, said Kent Peterman, College assistant dean for academic affairs. He added that he will use the money to schedule symposiums, seminar programs and workshop series. The center's introductory workshop, "Service, Learning and Research," will be held Wednesday in Houston Hall's Smith-Penniman Room, and followed by an open house. College Dean Robert Rescorla commended the center's efforts to integrate fieldwork into the undergraduate experience. "A truly educated person has some understanding not only of the world but also of how to add to our understanding of that world," he said.