An Introduction – Range: Undergraduate Research Journal

Undergraduate Research Matters

Undergraduate research opportunities support retention towards completion, foster belonging, furthers decisions about careers, and supports societal impact.

At the University of Utah, we know that our students who participate in undergraduate research are being retained and graduating within 4 years at higher rates when compared to general trends of students at the U. Undergraduate research engagement is a high-impact practice with significant success in student retention and graduation rates. According to Hernandez (2018), students who have completed at least two semesters of research with a faculty mentor graduate within four years at a significantly higher rate than those who have not. It certainly is true for many of our undergraduate researchers at the U.

Research experiences are critical to retaining underrepresented students and creating a sense of belonging for those who may not felt like they belonged in higher education (Aikens et al., 2017; Barlow & Villarejo, 2004; Espinosa, 2011; Hurtado et al., 2011; Jones et al., 2010). “Belonging” is defined as feeling connection and identification or isolation and alienation within a campus community (Hausmann et al., 2007; Johnson, 2012; Johnson, 2013). Imagine, yourself in a sea of people with over 30,000 students and thousands of professors – how do you find community, create connection? Many of our students have found a sense of belonging by participating in the research enterprise, connecting with mentors and research teams.

And we know that training students for the workforce matters. At the U, students participating in research are preparing themselves for careers, solving complex problems, and for many, have experience working in teams. Further, participation in undergraduate research clarifies interest in careers and expectations of obtaining a doctoral degree (Russell et al., 2007).

But through it all, consider the societal impact of undergraduate research. One need only peruse the publications in this issue to see the dynamic types of research reflected across the disciplines. Simply look through the fall issue, consider the wide range of research topics, methodologies, and questions that undergraduate students are addressing. This issue reflects contributions of summer programs from 2023, where over 200 students from 79 different universities participated in research at the University of Utah.

Special appreciation to the OUR team Cindy Greaves, Angie Leiva, Shelly Parker, Jude Ruelas, Jennifer Santiago (staff editor of the journal), Doi Ahn, Anna Gilstrap, Ali Nopper, Sonia Osuna, Ava Peitz, and Kishan Thambu (student editor of the journal).

Annie Isabel Fukushima
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
University of Utah

References

Aikens, M.L., Robertson, M.M., Sadselia, S., Watkins, K., Evans, M., Runyon, C.R., Ebay, L.T., and Dolan, E.L. (2017). Race and Gender Differences in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Structures and Research Outcomes. CBE-Life Sciences Education 16, 1-12.

Barlow A.E.L., Villarejo M (2004). Making a difference for minorities: evaluation of an educational enrichment program.

Espinosa, L.L. (2011). Pipelines and pathways: women of color in undergraduate STEM majors and the college experiences that contribute to persistence. Harvard Educ Rev 81, 209–240.

Hausmann, L.R.M., Schofield, J.W. & Woods, R.L. Sense of Belonging as a Predictor of Intentions to Persist Among African American and White First-Year College Students. Res High Educ 48, 803–839 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-007-9052-9

Hernandez, P.R., Woodcock, A., Estrada, M. and Schultz, W. (2018). Undergraduate Research Experiences Broaden Diversity in the Scientific Workforce, BioScience 68, 3, 204–211, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix163

Hurtado, S., Eagan, M.K., Tran, M.C., Newman, C.B., Chang, M.J., and Velasco, P. (2011). We do science here”: underrepresented students’ interactions with faculty in different college contexts. J Soc Issues 67, 553–579.

Jones, M.T., Barlow, A.E.L., and Villarejo, M. (2010). Importance of Undergraduate Research for Minority Persistence and Achievement in Biology. The Journal of Higher Education 81, 82 – 115.

Johnson, D.R. (2012). Campus Racial Climate Perceptions and Overall Sense of Belonging Among Racially Diverse Women in STEM Majors. Journal of College Student Development 53(2), 336-346. Johnson, D. R. (2011). Examining sense of belonging and campus racial diversity experiences among women of color in STEM living–learning programs. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 17, 209223.

Russell, S.H., Hancock, M.P., and McCullough, J. (2007). Benefits of Undergraduate Research Experiences. Education Forum 316.