Undergraduate researchers turn thoughts to summer

University Park, Pa. -- This time last year, as winter's bitter chill rode in on the wind, Lauren Koelmel found herself thinking of the Bahamas. Koelmel, a senior geosciences major, was pondering the tropics not because of the obvious and welcomed contrast to the cold, graying days of winter but because she had summer plans to conduct undergraduate research about coral reefs in San Salvador -- an opportunity made possible by Penn State's Undergraduate Discovery Summer Grant program.

Now in its second year, the Undergraduate Discovery Summer Grant program is gearing up to fund research opportunities for summer 2006. The Office of Undergraduate Education invites undergraduate researchers to apply for the 20 grants available this year. The deadline for applications is Feb. 1.

Supported by an endowment from the Penn State Alumni Association and funding from the Division of Undergraduate Education, the grants are intended to promote academic collaboration, as students engage in original research, scholarship and creative work during the summer under the direct supervision of a faculty member.

"Discovery Summer Grants allow students to engulf themselves in the research environment for the summer months without the distraction of coursework," said Lee Kump, professor of geosciences at University Park and adviser to Koelmel.

Each grant is in the amount of $2,500 and may be used to cover living expenses and project costs, including supplies, materials, books, specialized software and travel for the purpose of data collection.

The fact that the grant covered so many expenses made it possible for Steven Coraor, a senior with a double major in religious studies and East Asian studies, to travel around the state to collect data for his project "What Does it Mean to be a Buddhist in Pennsylvania?"

"I simply could not have afforded to complete the research I did without the aid of the Discovery Grant," said Coraor. "These programs allow students to research topics that would be unavailable otherwise, fostering research experience for the student and discovering new aspects to topics researched."

Penn State undergraduate students from all University locations and in all fields of study are eligible to apply for a grant for the summer following their first year through the summer before the year in which they will graduate. Eligible projects include laboratory and field research, scholarly inquiry, and creative work in music, art, theatre and other fields.

Penn State Beaver student Tara Pienkosky, a senior applied psychology major, discovered that the grant program helped her stay on track for her intended December 2005 graduation and the completion of her project, "Peer Conflict In Preschool Classrooms."

"With the grant, I was able to focus my time and energy during the summer on my research rather than working at a job that probably would not have prepared me as well for my future goals," said Pienkosky. "Without the opportunity to devote my time to my summer research, my project may not have been completed before my graduation this month, or I may have had to abandon some components."

Student-initiated projects in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities and arts are intended to provide experience in all facets of the research, scholarship or creative process, including conceptualization of a question or focus, proposal writing, identification and implementation of methods, and communication of results by reporting, exhibition or performance.

Projects funded by this grant program should be primarily the student's own work. Although the project may be related to the supervising faculty member's research or scholarly interests, it should not simply provide assistance to faculty work.

"Often undergraduates who conduct research are limited to ideas/interests of faculty members, which limits the aspects of the project the student may be exposed to -- often just data collection or idea generation, but rarely from conception to analyses," said Minhnoi Wroble Biglan, assistant professor of psychology at Penn State Beaver and adviser to Pienkosky. "These grants allow the students to explore their own ideas beyond the faculty mentor and provide a great foundation for further research in industry or in graduate school."

And, indeed, graduate school is in the cards for many Undergraduate Discovery Summer Grant recipients. In fact, the opportunity to conduct research as an undergraduate has acted as a catalyst for graduate study -- an advantage that is not going unnoticed by the students' mentors.

"For students like Steve, who plan to go on to graduate education, and then perhaps a career in academe, they are able to get on-the-spot training that simply cannot be gained elsewhere," said Charles Prebish, professor of religious studies and adviser to Coraor. "By getting his feet wet, so to speak, at an early point in his education, Steve will be amply prepared to continue his work on a more meaningful level later."

While the grants provide an invaluable opportunity for students, they are also extremely beneficial to faculty members overseeing undergraduate research.

"For faculty, support that comes from grant programs such as these helps us fulfill one of our career goals, that is, to instill the excitement of scientific discovery in students at an early stage of their careers," said Kump. "The grants also allow faculty to involve more undergraduates than they otherwise could support on research grants."

Last year's call for applications was met with an enthusiastic response.

"Almost 100 applications came from across Penn State last year," said Mary Beth Crowe, assistant dean for Undergraduate Education. "This indicated to the grant review committee that there is a significant interest in undergraduate research throughout the University."

"We're excited to see the proposals students submit for this year," said Crowe.

For more information and to inquire about the summer 2006 program, visit the Undergraduate Education Web site at http://www.psu.edu/oue/su06grant.htm or contact Crowe at (814) 863-1864 or mbc5@psu.edu