Jim Knapp learned firsthand the value of undergraduate research as an undergraduate himself at Stanford University.

Now Knapp will help give USC undergraduates that same experience as the new Director of Undergraduate Research, a position that begins Feb. 1. With a director in place, the goal ultimately is to make undergraduate research an identifying characteristic of the University as a whole.

"The entire University, I think, is rapidly headed in the direction of a major emphasis on undergraduate research," said Knapp, a professor in the Department of Geological Sciences who has been at USC since 1998. "There are a number of initiatives going forward across the University to foster this emphasis on undergraduate research.

"The vision is that undergraduate research will lead to more successful recruiting of top students entering the University, position our undergraduates for better opportunities in the future as they leave their USC experience, and facilitate a more competitive position for faculty in pursuing external research grants."

Harris Pastides, vice president for research and health sciences, emphasized that research enhances the undergraduate experience. "There is no conflict between being a great research university and being a great place to go to college," he said. "USC is both, and Professor Knapp will make the connections even clearer."

Although Knapp's position is new, the University's interest in undergraduate research is not. The University created the Magellan Scholar Program, which enriches the academic experience of undergraduates through research opportunities in all disciplines, to develop and stimulate undergraduate research; the first cohort of students was named in March 2006.

The Office of Undergraduate Research was created in concert with the establishment of the Magellan Scholarship program. Julie Morris spearheaded the work in the office and will remain with the office and work closely with Knapp in his new position.

Other initiatives for undergraduate research include the newly announced Voyager Program, which will facilitate travel for undergraduate students to present their research at national meetings; the Discover Seminar Series, which informs students about opportunities for undergraduate research; and Discovery Day, which is USC's annual competition for undergraduates to display their research.

The University also has a long history of faculty members dedicated to undergraduate research. "We need to recognize their efforts as well as engage a much larger portion of the faculty and the student body in the entire process," Knapp said.

Knapp will be looking at additional programs and initiatives to further engage undergraduate students in research, possibly finding a role for graduate students in the process. He's also interested in expanding the disciplinary breadth of undergraduate research.

"Ultimately what constitutes research in a discipline is going to lie with the people who are experts in those field," Knapp said. "There certainly is a strong interest in place to cultivate the undergraduate research enterprise across the entire University, as well as to the regional campuses."

Besides his own undergraduate research at Stanford, Knapp involved undergraduates in his research as a graduate student at MIT and, as a USC faculty member, routinely includes undergraduate students in his research program, which typically involves international travel for field work.

"It's led not only to tremendous learning experiences for the undergraduate students but also has helped place them in some of the top graduate programs around the country," Knapp said. "Undergraduate research definitely strengthens the undergraduate experience overall and particularly prepares people for the next step in their careers, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or in private enterprise. This is an enterprise that the University has come to understand must be an important component of the undergraduate experience.

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