Faculty in neuroscience, history, and cell biology, are using the grants to initiate projects intended to expose larger numbers of students to research.

"We're interested in getting whole groups of undergraduates participating in research projects—not just individual students," said Leslie Sargent Jones, associate dean of the Honors College. "Most research universities have only begun to integrate undergraduates into group-based research, and we're hoping to find more faculty here who are amenable to trying it."

In an Honors College course this past fall entitled "Gender and the Brain," Marlene Wilson emphasized research literature studies and oral presentations by the students.

"The goal of the class wasn't for the students to accumulate information through lectures or a textbook but instead to dig into current research literature like faculty and graduate students do," said Wilson, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience in the School of Medicine.

The undergraduates, who hailed from nursing, psychology, and pre-medicine majors, developed oral presentations on their literature findings, then worked with the aid of graduate students to design experiments on specific aspects of brain/gender science.

"The idea is to give undergraduates a primary experience in knowledge creation," said Jones, who assisted in teaching the Gender and the Brain course. "We want to encourage students to do research in the cutting edge of their respective majors."

To that end, the Honors College has provided seed grants to history faculty member Tom Lekan, who is working with undergraduates on an oral history project in Georgetown; to Mike Matthews in chemical engineering, who has launched the Research Communications Studio (see Dec. 12 TIMES); and to Wayne Carver, cell biology and anatomy, who is developing a course and research project in cardiovascular biology.

"So often, undergraduates are viewed as a drain on research with the thought that they can't devote enough time or that they lack experience," Jones said. "Our contention is that integrating undergraduates into research is part of teaching, it should be part of their education. Students in that age range are often the most capable of asking off-the-wall questions that can push the envelope of research."

The Honors College has advocated research-based learning for undergraduates through the successful MARE (Marine and Aquatic Research Experience for Undergraduates) program; the MARSci online research journal; and the new University 201 course.

"We want these projects to be a mix of honors and non-honors students so that the concept will export to the rest of the University," Jones said. "We're pushing undergraduate group research on a piecemeal basis as we find interested faculty. I hope the concept can achieve a critical mass."

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