EDITORIAL: In the lab and in the library

Penn has an unprecedented chance to increase student research opportunities. Penn has an unprecedented chance to increase student research opportunities. With external funding at an all-time high -- nearly $414 million for fiscal year 1998 -- Penn has an unprecedented opportunity to involve undergraduates in research. But as education continues headfirst into an era of interactive technology, the American university must increasingly turn its focus to learning in the laboratory and the research library; the traditional lecture is living on borrowed time. A wide variety of programs with research components already exist Departmental Honors and the Benjamin Franklin and Joseph Wharton scholars programs all are demonstrated successes and popular with participants. And they are but a few examples. But students remain thirsty for research opportunities, and so, Penn must do more to increase awareness of existing opportunities. One avenue for doing so is the Undergraduate Research Resource Center. The Center has the potential to serve as a clearinghouse for information, and its recent move to 3609 Locust Walk makes it more accessible than ever to students. There are other avenues warranting exploration, too. One worthy idea is the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education's proposed 1 1/2 credit courses -- a seminar and a half-semester of related research. Another is a program run by the University of Michigan which matches freshmen interested in performing research with mentors from the faculty. But whichever options Penn chooses to develop, the focus must remain clear: Every student should have the opportunity to participate in research during the course of an undergraduate education.