Undergraduate Research

What is undergraduate research and what are the benefits?

Universities have the unique role of not only sharing and honoring traditions of knowledge, but of asking new questions about what we know, finding solutions to new problems, and creating new knowledge that potentially transforms our worlds. That is the nature of academic research.

When students collaborate with and are mentored by faculty in academic research, those students learn by experiencing how concepts and methods they learn about in classrooms are applied to questions in the world around us.

There are many opportunities for UTPA students to participate in research beyond the classroom. Students who do active research also learn to present and publish research findings, gaining valuable professional experience and enhancing competitiveness for graduate study and career placement.

There are many routes to creating research opportunities. Seek the advice of a faculty mentor, contact our office to find out about upcoming funding and presentation/publication opportunities, and dive in!

Please note, all handouts from the workshops for undergraduate research are available at our Bronc Link page. 

Explore and Engage!

UTPA’s 1st annual undergraduate research conference

November 19 and 20, 2012

University of Texas, Pan American’s office of Undergraduate Research and Service Learning is pleased to invite undergraduates in all academic fields to submit an abstract and registration information to participate in the first annual undergraduate research conference, Explore and Engage!

Research projects must have been conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor or professional in the field, must be original, documented, and of high quality. Proposals to present will be reviewed by disciplinary panels.

Students will present their research projects to faculty, staff and other conference participants in either an oral or poster format. The oral presentation will allow students to give a 15-minute presentation of their topic and includes time for questions. Each oral session will be moderated by a faculty member. Students may also propose panels of related papers (up to 4). There will be sessions for “works in progress” where projects can be discussed for feedback. For the poster session, students will designed a visual poster representing their research and will present their work to individual conference participants over a 1-hour session. The call to submit an abstract proposal to present will go out to UTPA students in August and submissions will be accepted until the first week in October. Workshops will be offered, as well as online modules and resources for students to prepare to present and to refine proposals and papers.

Who is eligible:

Any undergraduate student currently enrolled in any discipline at UTPA. Any Student who will have graduated in spring or summer 2012 will also be eligible to present as long as s/he has not started post-baccalaureate study and the research s/he is presenting was conducted during the current academic year, while an undergraduate student, under the supervision of a faculty member.

STEPS:

• Attend an information session, meet with Danika Brown (Director of Undergraduate Research and Service Learning) to get geared up.
• Visit online resources, and discuss with current or previous instructors.
• Identify potential research project, or a previous project for revision and additional research.
• Attend workshops on identifying a faculty mentor, preparing a proposal abstract, preparing a paper, preparing a poster presentation, and tips for successful oral presentations.
• Submit abstract proposal for consideration.
• Work with faculty advisor to finalize research and prepare paper/poster.
• Present!
• Win recognition, admiration, and respect of your colleagues!

Additional Resources to get started