Undergraduate Research in Australia
Useful websites
General |
College of Creative Studies, University of California Santa Barbara Courses offered by the College of Creative Studies, University of California Santa Barbara are designed to allow students to rigorously explore or even modify a field of knowledge, rather than merely expose them to a predetermined quantity of fixed subject matter. Through intense creative work and research projects typically reserved for graduate school, students acquire a thorough comprehension of their discipline and are encouraged to begin making original contributions to the field. Most CCS classes are tutorials, studios and small seminars. In addition to taking CCS courses, students are encouraged to work within academic departments in the UCSB Colleges of Letters & Science and Engineering, taking advantage of the full spectrum of courses, extensive research equipment, facilities, and faculty expertise available across the campus [adapted from ccs website]. Highly motivated students plan their own program with the guidance of their academic mentors. |
ComWriter ComWriter is a cloud-based writing application for academics and students in Higher Education. ComWriter allows students to: create and edit writing projects; store bibliographic records and other resources; and format to academic standards using pre-defined styles (e.g., Harvard, APA, MLA, and others styles). And, it's FREE. |
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) The USA Council for Undergraduate Research exists to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. It is a not for profit organisation with a membership of 4,500 individuals and nearly 600 colleges and universities. The website includes a number of resources and publications likely to be of use to Australian academics with an interest in undergraduate research. |
CSU Impact This online newsletter contains a Community-Based Research E-Publication highlighting projects involving CalState University faculty, students, staff and local and global communities. Nearly 40 partnerships and their collaborative work are described. "It is our hope that these examples, whether in their infancy, or developed over several years, serve as inspiration or guidance in varying contexts, and in addressing diverse issues of community and campus interest" [quoted from the website]. To access the publication go to: http://www.calstate.edu/cce/news_pubs/ECBR/index.shtml |
CUR Publications on Undergraduate Research This website lists the publications available for sale from the Council on Undergraduate Research. Some publications are available for online viewing. Recent topics include: Broadening Participation in Undergraduate Reseasrch and Developing and Sustaining a Research-Supportive Curriculum |
Ethics approval for student research Blog by Lisa Wynn, Macquarie University, which provides useful information, guidelines and examples of ethics application forms for research projects that involve students. |
HHMI science educational research program The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the USA is committed to involving undergraduate students in ground-breaking original research through its Science Education Alliance (SEA) program. Its first undertaking is the National Genomics Research Initiative (NGRI). This is a national experiment in both research and education that revolves around a research course in genomics for undergraduate students. In the program's first full year of implementation, 270 students from 12 undergraduate institutions--including large research universities and small liberal arts colleges--participated. Students participate in an authentic research experience. This is integrated into a laboratory course designed for first year students. The idea is that this will result in significant contributions to the field of genomics. For further information see the website. |
Identifying, developing and disseminating best practice in supporting honours and coursework dissertation supervision The website provides resources for new supervisors of undergraduate, Honours and Masters by coursework dissertation students. This includes a Guide for New Supervisors, and information and tools for dealing with a range of supervisory issues |
Learning through enquiry alliance This alliance is a consortium of Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) in the UK which are all focused on in(en)quiry-based learning. It aims to support the development of students as competent, critical, independent and creative enquirers; cooperate, alongside students, to achieve greater benefits for institutions and the sector; foster a research-informed approach to pedagogic development; make a positive difference to students' lives and act as a collective voice in teaching and learning policy debates. It pools and co-develops knowledge about how to accomplish large scale strategic change and focuses also on acquiring the technology so that physical and virtual spaces that support students' learning can be connected to optimise opportunities for interaction [adapted from website]. |
List of undergraduate research journals The American Council on Undergraduate Research has on its website a list of undergraduate research journals in different disciplines. |
National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education The mission of the NSF Division of undergraduate education is to promote excellence in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for all students. It does this through leadership, supporting curriculum development, developing a scientific workforce and fostering connections, for example, between teaching and scientific research. This website may be a source of inspiration to academics outside the USA wishing to make the case for the support of undergraduate research within the scientific community. |
Online Conference for Undergraduate Research in Australia The Online Conference for Undergraduate Research in Australia (OCURA) allows undergraduate research students an opportunity to gain experience and present their work in a virtual online space. OCURA 2020 is all about ‘Rising to the Challenge’ and moving forward in life regardless of the hurdles we face. OCURA 2020 has no registration fee and is open to all schools of undergraduate research (including honours*) across all Australian universities. The conference will be held online (via Zoom) with multiple virtual sessions across two days – Thursday, 17 and Friday, 18 September 2020. |
Pitching Research Matters Microcredential Free, online, self-paced course designed to benefit all research-enabled students, novice researchers or anyone who is interested in discovering the basics of effectively communicating research ideas to an expert. Upon completion of the course, the learner will be able to: * Identify how the pitching research framework can help to plan research that conforms to responsible science * Appraise the logic underlying the template * Identify the interactions between the four broad types of pitching |
Project Kaleidoscope Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) is one of the leading advocates in the USA for building and sustaining strong undergraduate programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). PKAL is an informal alliance funded by the NSF and the WM Keck Foundation. It takes responsibility for shaping undergraduate STEM learning environments that attract undergraduate students to STEM fields, inspiring them to persist and succeed by giving them personal experience with the joy of discovery and an awareness of the influence of science and technology in their world. From the work of the PKAL community, resources are available that can be adapted by leaders on campuses working to ensure robust STEM learning of all their students. [Adapted from the PKAL website] The website contains numerous resources likely to be of interest to academics in other countries thinking of developing new ways to engage students. |
Research Corporation for Science Advancement The USA Research Corporation for Science Advancement, was established in 1912. It has played a major role in funding and stimulating undergraduate research. It 'is an active, hands-on foundation that stimulates advances in science. Its role is catalytic rather than controlling. Its mission is one of partnership rather than ownership. Research Corporation readily adapts to new situations and rapidly responds to new opportunities' [quoted from website]. The link here is to the Research Corporation's Annual Reports which make inspirational reading. The 2006 report is especially recommended. |
Research Councils UK: Research Careers Strategy Research Councils UK, aims to 'optimise the ways that Research Councils work together to deliver their goals, to enhance the overall performance and impact of UK research, training and knowledge transfer and to be recognised by academia, business and government for excellence in research sponsorship' [quoted from website]. In this work it has a strategy for developing research careers and improving the working conditions of researchers. This section of their website includes a link to the Concordat to support the career development of researchers which includes briefing notes for institutions, managers, HR personnel and staff developers. It should be of interest to anyone with a role and/or interest in research careers. |
Research skill development for curriculum design and assessment This website is the development of an ALTC funded project to develop a framework which informs the coherent, explicit and efficient development of student research skills. The website now contains examples from both the undergraduate and postgraduate level. The framework can be downloaded in pdf form and the website contains examples of the ways it has been used in different institutions and disciplines. |
The Undergraduate Awards UA is a prestigious and international academic awards programme, which is wholly pan-discipline. It aims to celebrate and support the world’s brightest and most innovative undergraduate students by recognising their best coursework and projects. The programme has been under the patronage of President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, since February 2012. |
Undergraduate journals |
ANU eView: The ANU Undergraduate Research Journal This journal presents 'outstanding essays taken from ANU undergraduate essay submissions. The breadth and depth of the articles chosen for publication by the editorial team and reviewed by leading ANU academics demonstrates the quality and research potential of the undergraduate talent being nurtured at ANU across a diverse range of fields' [quoted from website]. |
Bioscience Horizons: The national undergraduate research journal This Undergraduate Research Journal is based at the University of Leeds, UK and has support from the Oxford University press. It is peer reviewed. The website includes a useful flow-chart to indicate how students should submit a paper. Papers submitted will have been chosen from final year undergraduate research modules by the department/school in which the student is studying. Papers are then nominated for submission. As well as providing information to students and departments intending to submit an article, these guidelines may be of interest to academics and others thinking of setting up an undergraduate research journal |
Reinvention: Journal of Undergraduate Research Reinvention is an online, peer-reviewed journal, dedicated to the publication of high-quality undergraduate student research. The journal welcomes academic articles from all disciplinary areas and institutions. All articles in this journal undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by two anonymous referees. The journal is produced, edited and managed by students and staff at the University of Warwick and Oxford Brookes University. It is published bi-annually and only houses papers written by undergraduate students [adapted from website]. |
University of North Carolina Undergraduate research journal |
Undergraduate scholarships |
APS/IBM Research Internship for Undergraduate Women The American Physical Society and IBM co-sponsor a research internship program for undergraduate women. The goal is to encourage women students to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. Application Deadline: February 1, 2012. US citizenship is not required. |
Undergraduate Research Opportunities: Heart Research Institute HRI offers summer research placements to Australian and New Zealand undergraduate students through several scholarship programs. These placements provide high-achieving, research-focused students the opportunity to work on a medical research project directly related to cardiovascular disease, expand on their skills and knowledge, and be mentored in a world-class research institute. ​ These scholarships vary in duration from 6-10 weeks, and can offer opportunities for further undergraduate and postgraduate study, beyond summer placement. ​ |
Undergraduate Research Opportunities: The University of Sydney The Summer Research programs vary from four to eight weeks and are offered as scholarships, meaning you will receive payment for the duration of the program. |
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