 he won’t receive her
bachelor’s degree in microbiology and molecular genetics until June, yet
Christine Diane Hardy already considers herself a part of the scientific
community.
The UCLA senior fell in love with lab work as an undergraduate, first
learning to sequence genomes through the Student Research Program, then
in independent study. Hardy’s research work, gathering information from
the DNA of bacteria that thrive in boiling water, helped her find a career
path. Lab experience also has given her a research background unavailable
to her peers at many other colleges and universities.
“My focus is really on basic research. From the first time I set foot
in a laboratory I knew that was for me,” she says. “Research keeps me in
the loop. It makes me part of the scientific community. I can go to graduate
school and do research without having to learn all the techniques.”
Hardy is one of thousands of UCLA undergraduates introduced each year
to scientific research, learning critical thinking through hands on projects
and discovery based classroom programs. The National Science Foundation
(NSF) acknowledged UCLA’s success at integrating research and undergraduate
education in February by awarding the university one of 10 Recognition
Awards for the Integration of Research and Education. Recipients of the
$500,000 award, selected from a field of more than 100 applicants, were
honored at a Feb. 21 ceremony at NSF headquarters in Arlington, VA.
“UCLA is grateful to the National Science Foundation for its support
of our growing number of innovative programs that integrate research with
education,” Chancellor Charles E. Young says. “While UCLA stands among
the ranks of the world’s premier research universities, we are dedicated
first and foremost to superior undergraduate education. Teaching and research
fortify each other. In the classroom, UCLA students benefit from exposure
to important research on the cutting edge of science, technology, education,
human behavior and a great many other disciplines.”
UCLA embeds research in undergraduate education by creating opportunities
for laboratory work with faculty and developing discovery based teaching
methods and innovative learning materials.
The UCLA Student Research Program (see story, page 14) invites more
than 1,500 undergraduates a year to work elbow to elbow with faculty and
graduate students on a wide range of research projects. Independent study
and honors research classes create opportunities for undergraduates to
publish their work and receive stipends and prizes. Four research driven
programs target underrepresented minority students on campus. The graduation
rate among underrepresented students rises from 60 percent to 85 percent
among those who participate in a research program at UCLA.
In the classroom, the UCLA Science Challenge has produced a range of
courseware and multimedia learning materials. Interactive instructional
programs are available for general education and lower division courses
in all departments in the Division of Physical Sciences. The Computer Integrated
Biology Lab (CIBL) reaches about 1,000 students a year with a digital learning
system. Other programs include undergraduate seminars with a research emphasis
and access to materials and facilities that allow students to attack problems
using the same equipment used by research scientists.
Brian Copenhaver, provost of the UCLA College of Letters and Science,
says the university’s range of research programs for undergraduates offers
many unique opportunities. “Most undergraduates don’t have the arenas conferences,
peer reviews, publications -- needed to disseminate research and get the
feedback that instructs faculty and graduate students as they refine their
work,” he observes. “The virtual classroom expands those opportunities
by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas, review of material and
constructive feedback.”
Kumar Patel, vice chancellor for research at UCLA, notes that the benefits
of exposing undergraduates from all disciplines to research are far reaching.
“It would be wrong to expect that all undergraduates will become scientists
in the future. But all will become citizens, voters and decision-makers,”
Patel says. “If a substantial fraction of our undergraduates leave UCLA
with a good feeling about research and its value to society, I think UCLA
and other research universities will have an easier time in the future.”
UCLA’s undergraduate research and discovery based learning opportunities
are supported through an array of government grants, private gifts and
substantial investment by departments and schools, including the Chancellor’s
Office and the College of Letters and Science. UCLA also commits substantial
funds to the infrastructure for educational research opportunities. Two
recent examples are the $10-million renovation project for chemistry and
life sciences laboratories and the $32-million “UCLA Connected” project
to improve computer networking, Internet access and computer labs.
UCLA will use the $500,000 award from the NSF to evaluate and build
on its success at integrating research with education programs. “We know
from hands on experience that our projects make students more interested
in the sciences, but we want to know how and why,” Copenhaver says. “Part
of the award will be used to assess how discovery based instruction benefits
students, both in their studies at UCLA and later in their careers.”
The NSF is a U.S. government agency that is responsible for promoting
science and engineering through programs that invest more than $3.3 billion
per year in nearly 20,000 research and education projects in sciences and
engineering. A top priority of the agency is to stimulate new thinking
at colleges and universities on how to better link research with education.
Bill Noxon, spokesman for the National Science Foundation, said the
Recognition Award for the Integration of Research and Education acknowledges
demonstrated leadership, innovation and achievement in developing programs
institutionwide that integrate research and education activities. “These
awards are a good way to show how institutions, particularly with strong
research in their portfolios, are able to balance research with education
and do it well,” Noxon says.
Other universities honored by the National Science Foundation at the
Feb. 21 ceremony were the universities of Arizona, Delaware, Michigan,
Missouri and Oregon, along with Carnegie Mellon, Duke and Kansas State
universities, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
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DIRECT RESEARCH
About 10 percent of UCLA’s nearly 24,000 undergraduates participate
directly in research each academic year through a range of programs:
Student Research Program (SRP): SRP allows undergraduates to
assist faculty with an array of ongoing research projects. Students receive
transcript notation for their work.
Independent study and honors projects: Students can receive academic
credit from various departments by conducting formal undergraduate research
projects. Some undergraduates conduct honors projects that culminate in
a senior research thesis.
Stipends and prizes: Many campus units provide stipends for undergraduates
to engage in research, and several departments offer prizes recognizing
achievement in undergraduate research.
Targeted research opportunities: UCLA sponsors six major programs
targeting underrepresented students. In addition to research opportunities,
the programs encompass faculty and peer mentoring, financial assistance,
counseling and outreach.
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DISCOVERY-BASED LEARNING
UCLA faculty integrate an array of research techniques and discovery-based
learning tools into their undergraduate curriculum. Here are some examples:
UCLA Science Challenge: This broadly based education reform project
has introduced advanced computer based interactive instruction to a range
of subjects.
Multimedia Enhanced Physics Instruction (MEPI): The project uses
video, sound, graphics, simulations and databases for self-paced student
explorations in physics concepts, research and applications.
Computer-Integrated Biology Lab (CIBL): The project supports
hand-on laboratory experiences using interactive video, graphics, animation,
sound and computer simulation. For example, using a UCLA-generated multimedia
program, students are guided through a rat dissection.
Physical Sciences Visualization Center: The center gives students
access to state-of-the-art computer graphics facilities that allow them
to attack problems using the same hardware and software used by research
scientists.
Undergraduate seminars: Three campuswide initiatives bring science
education to undergraduates in the form of research-based seminars.
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