Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Center for Research and Learning Reorganized to Improve “Research Pipeline”:

The Center for Research and Learning (CRL) has reorganized in order to strengthen the strategic relationship between undergraduate research programs and research projects undertaken by IUPUI faculty and staff. As a result, CRL staff will now report directly to the new Vice Chancellor for Research. At the same time, CRL will maintain its collaborative membership in the Consortium for Learning and Scholarship.

The IUPUI Preparing Future Faculty Program (PFF) will now also reside in the CRL. This will further solidify the pipeline for research development and future faculty development. These changes will also improve IUPUI’s ability to align research goals and objectives for the entire university community. Programs that are housed in or affiliated with, the CRL are part of a continuum that includes recruiting students from high school, engaging them in research as early as possible, and supporting faculty and student interaction in research and research-related activities through graduate school.

Programming for Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects Cited in US News and World Report:
The 2008 edition of U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges cited IUPUI’s undergraduate research/creative projects as an example of programming linked to student success. Other IUPUI programs included in the issue were first-year experiences, learning communities, and service learning. During 2007-2008, IUPUI’s Center for Research and Learning housed six formal student research support programs and collaborated with an additional five programs to provide services and research opportunities to students.

Critical Undergraduate Research Grants Renewed:

The Center for Research and Learning was successful in securing two highly competitive renewal grants for the McNair Scholars Program and the Louise Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program.

The McNair Scholars Program is a federally-funded effort to increase the numbers of low-income, first-generation, and under-represented students who pursue the Ph.D. and seek careers in research and teaching in higher education. Funds totaling $923,984 over a period of four years will provide support for 26 students each year. Services provided to students include individual mentoring for research projects, instruction in GRE test-taking skills, consultation on graduate school admission and financial aid, social events, travel funds for research conferences, and workshops on communication, writing, information literacy, and computer skills.

The LSAMP grant, funded by the National Science Foundation, aims to strengthen minority participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The Indiana project is a collaboration of five university campuses, including IUPUI, Indiana University Bloomington, Purdue University West Lafayette, Purdue University Calumet, and Ball State University. The Center for Research and Learning received $59,372 per year to support eight under-represented minority students intensively each summer for five years.

Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute (MURI) Expanded:

Commitment to Excellence funds totaling $90,000 have allowed the IUPUI MURI Project to expand undergraduate team research across all disciplines on the IUPUI campus. Previously, the team research programs were limited to the School of Engineering and Technology. Increased funding has allowed the Center for Research and Learning to more than double the number of students served from 37 last year to 76 this year.

IUPUI Undergraduate Research Students Participate in AGEP Conferences:

As a member of the Midwest Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), a consortium funded by the National Science Foundation, the CRL participated in the first Midwest Mega AGEP Conference, which included students and faculty from five states. This three-day conference supported graduate students pursuing academic careers in STEM disciplines.

Additionally, at the Joint Annual LSAMP Indiana and Midwest Crossroads AGEP Research and Alliance Enrichment Conference, Beatrice Thungu, an outstanding undergraduate junior Biology major, won first place in the student oral presentation competition.

IUPUI Scholar Selected as Winner of Posters on the Hill Competition:
An additional example of the quality and impact of research generated from CRL-sponsored programs is the work of Andrea Schilling, master’s degree student in geology. Schilling was one of 60 students (out of over 1,000 applicants) from across the country invited to present their work during the annual Council on Undergraduate Research Posters on the Hill event. In collaboration with Professor Kathy Licht, Schilling conducted research to characterize sediment composition from outlet glaciers that drain the East Antarctica ice sheet. This work will contribute to understanding this region’s past response to global climate change and help modelers make more accurate predictions about the impact of current global warming trends. During her visit, Schilling had the opportunity to meet with legislators, including Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), to explain the importance of undergraduate research to student learning and the college experience.