Undergraduate students are the “secret sauce” to help research programs be successful

Kenneth W. Van Treuren; Liping Liu; Anthony M. Jacobi; Sophie Wang; Kyriaki Kalaitzidou

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division (ENT) Technical Session 6: Undergraduate and Faculty Research
Tagged Division: Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division (ENT)
Page Count: 18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44531
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44531
Download Count: 313

Paper Authors

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Kenneth W. Van Treuren Baylor University

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KEN VAN TREUREN is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Baylor University and serves as the Associate Dean in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. He received his B. S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the USAF Academy in 1977 and his M. S. in Engineering from Princeton University in 1978. He completed his DPhil in Engineering Sciences at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom in 1994. He then taught at the USAF Academy until his military retirement. At Baylor University since 1998, he teaches courses in fluid mechanics, energy systems, propulsion systems, heat transfer, and aeronautics. Research interests include renewable energy, small wind turbine aerodynamics, and noise generation as it applies to the urban environment. Currently, he designs small Unmanned Aerial System propellers, reducing noise and power requirements.

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Liping Liu Lawrence Technological University

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Liping Liu is an associate professor in the A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University. She earned her Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. Her resear

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Abstract

Research is not a new idea however, it was in the 1950s that the relationship between research and development (R & D) was generally recognized [1]. Since WWII most economic growth has been from technology development. Thus, innovative research activity has been the single, most important component of long-term economic growth [2]. Research programs have been an important part of R1 and other research active universities and will continue to be increasingly important dimension of a faculty member’s receiving tenure and the promotion to professor. To help faculty be successful in research, they should be encouraged to make use of undergraduate students in their research programs. Undergraduate students are an underutilized resource that can add value to any research program. Madan and Teitge [3] found that “a significant number of first-year students are overwhelmed by the academic process and do not even know that research is an option for them, let alone how to get involved.” Faculty are under tremendous pressures to be successful and often do not have time to recruit or train undergraduate students. This paper addresses this dilemma and describes the development of a training program to help faculty connect with undergraduates and see the value of adding them to their research teams. Undergraduates bring diversity to the research team. Undergraduates impacting research by bringing fresh ideas and unique perspectives to the team. They can help formulate questions and contribute to any brainstorming activities to solve research challenges. Out-of-the-box thinking is more likely with someone new to the program. Having additional lab workers can help with productivity in the lab. Russell et al. [4] found that undergraduate research does lead to interest in STEM careers and graduate study so these students could eventually continue in the lab as graduate students. Both faculty and students need to connect research with the concepts of entrepreneurially minded learning (EML), or more specifically curiosity, connections and creating value, to the research being conducted. To educate and aid faculty with integrating undergraduates in research, a series of initiatives are being developed to address student early exposure to the concept of research, training of students in research topics, and helping faculty see the value of using undergraduates in their research programs. For all initiatives, videos and accompanying activities will be available for use at any university. Specifically for faculty development, two videos and accompanying activities are envisioned to be delivered in a seminar setting targeting all faculty who do research. The first seminar entitled “Engaging Undergraduates in Your Research: Worth the Effort!” makes the connection of undergraduate students to research programs and their value to both the student and the professor. The second seminar entitled “Boost UG Research Productivity with EML – Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value” reinforces this obvious connection between EML and research. These much needed seminars should encourage both new and experienced faculty to embrace EML and to see the benefit of including undergraduates in research programs. Seeing some of the examples of successfully integrating undergraduates in research that will be presented in the workshops should encourage all faculty and motivate them to include more undergraduates in their programs.

[1] Holstein, W. K., “Research and Development,” Britannica. [Online] Available: https://www.britannica.com/topic/research-and-development . [Accessed on Jan 29, 2022]. [2] Rosenberg, N. “Innovation and Economic Growth,” Innovation and Growth in Tourism, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2004. [Online]. Available: https://www.oecd.org/industry/tourism/34267902.pdf . [Accessed on Jan 29, 2022]. [3] Madan, C. R., and Teitge, B. D., “The Benefits of Undergraduate Research: The Student’s Perspective,” The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal, Vol 15(2013). [Online]. Available: https://journals.psu.edu/mentor/article/view/61274/60907 . [Accessed on Jan 30, 2022]. [4] Russell, S. H., Hancock, M. P., and McCullough, J., “Benefits of Undergraduate Research Experiences,” Science Magazine, Vol 316, 27 April 2007. [Online]. Available: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1140384 . [Accessed on Jan 30, 2022]

Citation
Format

Van Treuren, K. W., & Liu, L., & Jacobi, A. M., & Wang, S., & Kalaitzidou, K. (2023, June), Undergraduate students are the “secret sauce” to help research programs be successful Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44531

TY - CPAPER
AB - Research is not a new idea however, it was in the 1950s that the relationship between research and development (R &amp;amp; D) was generally recognized [1]. Since WWII most economic growth has been from technology development. Thus, innovative research activity has been the single, most important component of long-term economic growth [2]. Research programs have been an important part of R1 and other research active universities and will continue to be increasingly important dimension of a faculty member’s receiving tenure and the promotion to professor.
To help faculty be successful in research, they should be encouraged to make use of undergraduate students in their research programs. Undergraduate students are an underutilized resource that can add value to any research program. Madan and Teitge [3] found that “a significant number of first-year students are overwhelmed by the academic process and do not even know that research is an option for them, let alone how to get involved.” Faculty are under tremendous pressures to be successful and often do not have time to recruit or train undergraduate students. This paper addresses this dilemma and describes the development of a training program to help faculty connect with undergraduates and see the value of adding them to their research teams. Undergraduates bring diversity to the research team. Undergraduates impacting research by bringing fresh ideas and unique perspectives to the team. They can help formulate questions and contribute to any brainstorming activities to solve research challenges. Out-of-the-box thinking is more likely with someone new to the program. Having additional lab workers can help with productivity in the lab. Russell et al. [4] found that undergraduate research does lead to interest in STEM careers and graduate study so these students could eventually continue in the lab as graduate students.
Both faculty and students need to connect research with the concepts of entrepreneurially minded learning (EML), or more specifically curiosity, connections and creating value, to the research being conducted. To educate and aid faculty with integrating undergraduates in research, a series of initiatives are being developed to address student early exposure to the concept of research, training of students in research topics, and helping faculty see the value of using undergraduates in their research programs. For all initiatives, videos and accompanying activities will be available for use at any university. Specifically for faculty development, two videos and accompanying activities are envisioned to be delivered in a seminar setting targeting all faculty who do research. The first seminar entitled “Engaging Undergraduates in Your Research: Worth the Effort!” makes the connection of undergraduate students to research programs and their value to both the student and the professor. The second seminar entitled “Boost UG Research Productivity with EML – Curiosity, Connections, and Creating Value” reinforces this obvious connection between EML and research. These much needed seminars should encourage both new and experienced faculty to embrace EML and to see the benefit of including undergraduates in research programs. Seeing some of the examples of successfully integrating undergraduates in research that will be presented in the workshops should encourage all faculty and motivate them to include more undergraduates in their programs.

[1] Holstein, W. K., “Research and Development,” Britannica. [Online] Available: https://www.britannica.com/topic/research-and-development . [Accessed on Jan 29, 2022].
[2] Rosenberg, N. “Innovation and Economic Growth,” Innovation and Growth in Tourism, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2004. [Online]. Available: https://www.oecd.org/industry/tourism/34267902.pdf . [Accessed on Jan 29, 2022].
[3] Madan, C. R., and Teitge, B. D., “The Benefits of Undergraduate Research: The Student’s Perspective,” The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal, Vol 15(2013). [Online]. Available: https://journals.psu.edu/mentor/article/view/61274/60907 . [Accessed on Jan 30, 2022].
[4] Russell, S. H., Hancock, M. P., and McCullough, J., “Benefits of Undergraduate Research Experiences,” Science Magazine, Vol 316, 27 April 2007. [Online]. Available: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1140384 . [Accessed on Jan 30, 2022]

AU - Kenneth W. Van Treuren
AU - Liping Liu
AU - Anthony M. Jacobi
AU - Sophie Wang
AU - Kyriaki Kalaitzidou
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Undergraduate students are the “secret sauce” to help research programs be successful
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44531
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44531
ER -