Why is undergraduate research important?

The intellectual success of  university students is enhanced by understanding that inquiry, investigation, and discovery is paramount, whether in funded research projects, undergraduate classrooms, or graduate assistantships.Everyone at a university should have the opportunity to be an innovator, a discoverer, a researcher.

Undergraduate research enhances students’ abilities and skills in higher education and in life.

• Students learn to take responsibility for their own learning, and understand that they have the skills to learn in any situation.
• Students develop their own perspective and voice and learn how to construct an argument based on their own exploration of a topic.
• Students become more proficient at distinguishing evidence-based information from fake news.
• Students build tolerance for obstacles faced in the research process.
• Students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Students develop self-confidence.
• Students improve oral and written communication skills
• Students develop the ability to ask researchable questions, exploring possible solutions, and use evidence as they analyze the results of their work.