Strategies to Maximize the Involvement of Undergraduates in Publishable Research at an R2 University

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Gary L. Dunbar¹ 

[1] Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, United States

关键词: peer-mentoring;    team-based research;    R2 university;    graduate-student mentoring;    interdisciplinary programs;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00214

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

In 1987, I was hired by the Department of Psychology at Central Michigan University (CMU)with the primarily responsibility of teaching courses in physiological psychology, which wererequired for accreditation of our Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) program, the only doctoralprogram at CMU at that time. I was given $3,500 start-up and lab space which consisted of a12′ X 24′storage room and a similarly sized retrofitted classroom to house rodents. However,by refurbishing discarded equipment from companies, like Dow Chemical and Dow Corning,and building our own rat mazes, my students and I were able to put together a functioningbehavioral neuroscience laboratory that allowed students to engage in hands-on, inquiry-basedresearch (Dunbar, 1998). Although CMU had a M.A. program in experimental psychology, nearlyall the department-supported graduate assistantships went to the Psy.D. program, so my labmainly consisted of undergraduates, with two self-funded M.A. students. With the help of twoequipment and course improvement grants garnered through the National Science Foundationand by partnering with a Michigan-based pharmaceutical company (Upjohn), we were soonable to conduct publishable research, which included undergraduate students. Our undergraduateresearch blossomed with the infusion of innovative ideas and interactions with members of a neworganization, the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN).

【 授权许可】

CC BY