Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)

Council on Undergraduate Research Membership Benefits

October 13, 2017

The University of Portland is an enhanced institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). All members of the campus community are eligible to become members of CUR at no cost to the individual because of UP’s enhanced institutional membership. Member benefits include reduced rates for upcoming conferences and workshops, access to CUR Quarterly magazine, bi-weekly newsletters, and access to member grants, as well as other benefits.

CUR offers events for both students and faculty members. 2017-18 events are listed here.

Student wishing to present at the 32nd Annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (April 4-7, 2018) must submit their abstract by Tuesday, December 5 via their NCUR account. Abstract submissions guidelines can be found here.

For more information, contact the Undergraduate Research Program in the Office of Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement, ur@up.edu or x7857.

Ahern-Ridnell Chosen for National Undergraduate Research Project

October 6, 2017

Ami Ahern-Rindell, biology, has been chosen after a national competitive search to serve as a biology consultant on a four-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). The grant is part of the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Program and is called the “CUR Transformations Project.”

The overarching goal of this project is to work intensively with 12 institutions and 24 departments over a sustained period to conduct fundamental research on student, faculty, departmental, and disciplinary influences on the process of integrating and scaffolding undergraduate research experiences throughout the curriculum. The grant will also allow institutional participants to pursue departmental and school/college-wide transformations in student learning and learning environments.

The sustainability of these changes will be further enhanced by assisting institutions to integrate research-based curricula into student and faculty cultures and reward systems, and by developing expanded undergraduate research assessments, including the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) instruments.

For more information contact Ahern-Rindell at ahernrin@up.edu.

Undergraduate Research Supported Across Campus

May 4, 2015

Faculty members from a variety of University of Portland programs made it possible for student research collaborators to attend the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) on April 16-18 at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash. It was a one-of-a-kind event for students to present their research, scholarship, and creative activities in all disciplines, according to Ami Ahern-Rindell, biology, who also serves as on the CUR executive board as secretary, and as the book review editor for the CUR Quarterly.

The Council on Undergraduate Research partners with an institution each year to organize NCUR and offer the conference venue to undergraduates across the country. This year UP students who presented at NCUR had the support of faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences (biology, environmental sciences, and mathematics) and the Shiley School of Engineering in preparing their presentations. Students’ expenses were supported in part by the Office of the Provost, deans from Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences, and the newly formed Undergraduate Research Club.

For more information, contact Ahern-Rindell at ahernrin@up.edu.

Council On Undergraduate Research Membership Benefits

April 28, 2014

The University of Portland is an enhanced institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), according to Ami Ahern-Rindell, biology. One benefit of membership is that all members of the campus community are eligible to become members of CUR and take advantage of reduced rates for upcoming workshops, which include Proposal Writing Institute, Beginning a Research Program in the Natural Sciences at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution, and Creative Inquiry in the Arts and Humanities (details below).

Registration for the upcoming CUR Conference 2014, “Creating the Citizens of Tomorrow: Undergraduate Research for All,” is currently underway. The conference will be held June 28-July 1, 2014, in Washington, D.C., and will highlight cross-disciplinary connections and collaborations among higher education, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. The overall goals of the conference are to encourage broad participation in undergraduate research and to make visible its benefits to students, faculty, colleges and universities, and communities. To register and for more information go to http://www.cur.org/events/2014_cur_conference/.

Upcoming CUR workshops include:

Proposal Writing Institute, July 17-21, 2014, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Ala. Application Deadline: Wednesday, May 21, 2014. This Institute will bring together faculty and administrators interested in preparing proposals for submission to external funding agencies. The four-day institute will consist of one-on-one work with a mentor, writing, small group discussions, and critiquing of proposals.
Creative Inquiry in the Arts and Humanities Institute, November 7-9, 2014, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Application Deadline: September 19, 2014. The Institute will assist teams of 3-5 faculty and administrators in developing transformative opportunities for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creativity (URSC) in the arts and humanities. Participants will create customized plans for their own institutions to enhance URSC in the arts and humanities; learn about successful models of URSC developed by and for scholars in the arts and humanities; address challenges to student engagement in URSC, such as the need for language skills or other specialized training before beginning scholarly work; and much more.
Beginning a Research Program in the Natural Sciences at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution Institute, November 2014. Starting a successful research program and doing scholarly work at a predominantly undergraduate institution pose unique challenges for a beginning faculty member. A goal of the institute is to give individual pre-tenured faculty members the opportunity to learn from and discuss with experienced faculty how to establish and manage a research program with undergraduates. While at the institute, participants will also prepare plans for starting and/or advancing their individual research programs at their respective campuses.

For more information, contact MeLisa Zackery at mzackery@cur.org. Those who are interested in signing up to be a member of CUR through UP’s enhanced institutional membership can contact Lindsay Currie at lcurrie@cur.org.