Over 65 biology faculty from over 25 states gathered together at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, November 6-9, 1997, to begin the first phase of the Research Link 2000 Project, funded by the National Science Foundation. Research Link 2000 is an NSF-sponsored project of the Council on Undergraduate Research. It is designed to bring together biology faculty from colleges and universities to select, develop and disseminate a group of field-tested, experimental systems and instructional materials. This action will support the introduction of research-based experiments in introductory biology courses and promote research activities by students and faculty at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum.

The conference included five plenary sessions that focused on the development and implementation of a research-based lab curriculum. Forty-four research systems were presented. Members of the project team who provided leadership for the conference were: Jim Hoerter (Research Link 2000 Project Coordinator), Lisa Baird, Kipp Kruse, Sibdas Ghosh (On-Site Conference Coordinator), and Michael Tannenbaum. Elaine Hoagland, CUR National Executive Officer, welcomed the participants and Joe Pelliccia of NSF delivered the keynote address, Shaping the Future of Undergraduate Education in Biology.

The Research Link 2000 conference will be followed by a Research Link 2000 Workshop in the summer of 1998 for the development of research systems, lab experiments and website support, and a Research Link 2000 Institute in the summer of 1999 to assist faculty/student teams with adoption and implementation of these systems at their home institutions. Research systems to be developed for the workshop and institute will be selected from those presented at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater conference.

Article about the Conference from the June 1998 Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly. This file is in pdf format.

The Research Link 2000 Project faculty members are: Jim Hoerter, Ferris State University, Project Coordinator; Mary Allen, Wellesley College; Lisa Baird, University of San Diego; Sibdas Ghosh, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; Kathryn Goddard, Ursinus College; J.K. Haynes, Morehouse College; Kipp Kruse, Eastern Illinois University; and Michael Tannenbaum, Truman State University.

For more information see the conference schedule.