The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and The Council on
Undergraduate Research (CUR) often are mistaken for one another, given the similarity of
their acronyms and their overlapping agendas. Both promote undergraduate research, but they are SEPARATE ORGANIZATIONS.
CUR is a dues-paying membership organization for
faculty members in the sciences, mathematics, psychology and social sciences,
directors of undergraduate research and administrators, most of whom work
at undergraduate institutions. They share the goal of sustaining and
enhancing research activities by faculty members and undergraduate students. CUR
also has a significant membership from colleges and universities that have joined as
institutional members. CUR maintains a National Office in Washington, DC under the
direction of Executive Officer Nancy Hensel. CUR initiatives include continued
conversations with government officials and funding agencies about the value and needs of
research programs in undergraduate institutions; publications, such as the
CUR
Quarterly and a series of How To publications such as - "How to
Get Started in Research", "How to Mentor Undergraduates",
"How to Get a Tenure-track Position at a PUI", "How to
Develop and Administer Undergraduate Research Programs"; a listserv for rapid
communication among members; a regular series of electronic bulletins "CUR
E - News" on program opportunities and policy issues emerging from federal agencies;
opportunities for members to network with government and foundation officials to learn
about and to promote funding opportunities through National Conferences (even
years) alternating with biennial CUR Dialogue
gatherings (odd years) in Washington DC; and a series of CUR
Institutes, workshops for institutional teams to learn and plan strategies for
strengthening research programs on their home campuses. CUR provides student summer
research stipends, mentors, consultants, proposal review services, a speaker's bureau,
peer-review registry, and an undergraduate researchers graduate school
registry as services to its members. CUR is organized in divisions (alphabetically): At-Large,
Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical and Computer
Sciences, Physics/Astronomy, Psychology, Social Sciences, and Undergraduate
Research Program Directors. CUR supports a website to provide information and resources
for investigative laboratory experiments in biology. CUR also has
Affinity Groups that provide discussion and programs on special
topics. Currently active affinity groups are in these areas:
Biochemistry, Engineering, Arts/Humanities Issues, Research University
Issues, College and University Administration Issues, and Environmental
Sciences Issues.
NCUR is the
organizer of an annual conference of
student presenters each spring, which has become a national celebration of
undergraduate scholarly activity involving all academic disciplines and all
institutions of higher education. NCUR's
annual conferences also include sessions for faculty members and
administrators to discuss starting, supporting, or maintaining
departmental or institutional undergraduate research programs.
The next NCUR
meeting will be:
More information about NCUR can be obtained from
the NCUR homepage on the World Wide Web at http://www.ncur.org/
CUR is a supporter of NCUR, and the two organizations have collaborated on projects that strengthen interest in
undergraduate research.
