CUR 2002 Workshop Summaries

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CUR 2002 Workshop Report

Title: Getting Research Societies to Support Research at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions

Presenters: Jon Monroe, Mark Brodl, and Larry Aaronson
Attendance: 37

The presenters began by describing their activities within the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB; JM and MB) and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM; LA), and the programs in place or being developed within their respective societies. Larry described the ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowships Program ( http://www.asmusa.org/edusrc/edu23a.htm ) and how it was developed within the strong education division of ASM 10 years ago. Several pamphlets were distributed. The program supports approximately 40 undergraduates per summer, and is supported by a substantial endowment. Approximately half of the awardees come from PUIs. ASM sponsors several other programs, including an annual microbiology education conference, which are of great benefit to faculty at PUIs.

Mark then described an Undergraduate Summer Fellowship program in its second year in ASPB that supports 8 students per year ( http://www.aspb.org/education/summerundergrad.cfm ). This program grew out of a strong PUI faculty network within ASPB. Both societies provide travel support for the students to make presentations at the national meetings and showcase those presentations at the meeting in various ways. Mark and Jon also described the annual breakfast meeting for PUI faculty at the ASPB meeting and how it came about through their connections with ASPB leaders. The ASPB now supports several CUR-like workshops, a web site, and a listserv specifically for PUI faculty. Jon distributed an article on the ASPB's activities regarding undergraduate research that he wrote and that is to be published in the June-July '02 issue of the ASPB News. The floor was then opened for questions in which suggestions on how to develop similar programs at other societies were provided.