This April marks the second annual Undergraduate Research Month at NIU, coordinated by the Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning (OSEEL) and University Honors Program, and co-sponsored by University Libraries.
The purpose of this month-long celebration is to highlight the contributions undergraduate researchers make, and the talented faculty who mentor and support them throughout their research journey.
This year’s theme is, “What is knowledge creation?” Faculty are encouraged to engage students by facilitating class conversations reflecting on and analyzing the Council on Undergraduate Research’s definition of undergraduate research.
Students may submit their reflections, which will be incorporated into the Undergraduate Research Month kickoff event from 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3 in the staff lounge on the lower level of Founders Memorial Library. Faculty, students and staff are invited to attend.
“What counts as knowledge creation is an important question to explore, as we strive to make CURE a space for inquiry across disciplines,” Andrea Radasanu, assistant vice provost of Student Enhancement said.
Research month will culminate Tuesday, April 29 with the annual Conference on Undergraduate Research and Engagement (CURE). This year marks NIU’s 15th year of providing an opportunity for undergraduate researchers to present faculty-mentored research, artistry and engagement projects. This year, students can choose between two formats: roundtable discussion or poster session.
“There are many ways to disseminate and communicate research and we wanted to expand beyond the academic poster format that is primarily used in STEM fields to encourage students from a broader range of disciplines to participate,” Emily Reilly, associate director of OSEEL and CURE coordinator said.
Faculty are encouraged to invite students to share their work, whether they are mentoring students 1:1, in lab settings or through class group projects. Faculty can visit the new CURE faculty involvement page for ways to support the event.
Presenter registration is now open to students, and whether presenting or attending, all students are invited to participate. New this year, OSEEL’s student resources page includes short videos to help students prepare.
