A first-year seminar with a biodiversity expert transformed Michael Foote’s academic experience at Carolina. And a summer research fellowship at the end of Diana Gergel’s sophomore year forever changed her life.
The members of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Intellectual Climate, formed in the late 1990s, would be pleased. Their report and recommendations launched two innovations in the College of Arts and Sciences — the First Year Seminar Program and the Office for Undergraduate Research — that over the course of a decade have profoundly enhanced the Carolina experience for thousands of Tar Heels and become models for other schools.
Gergel graduated in May with an undergraduate degree in history and political science. The research bug bit early. With the help of a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), she spent the summer after her sophomore year working for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and doing research at the Library of Congress on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). The next summer, she headed to Cape Town to refine her honors thesis, a study of survivor’s memories of apartheid and their experiences with the TRC. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in African history.
“I also went to Johannesburg, and I stayed in Soweto, the largest township. That was one of the most life-changing experiences of the entire summer,” Gergel said. “I think doing research in a way that engages you with people really has the potential to change your outlook on life and changes the way you see things around you.”
Foote ’11 recalls fondly the first-year seminar, “Biologists as Entrepreneurs,” which has influenced the rest of his studies — and that’s exactly what the chancellor’s task force wanted to happen. Students in the class, taught by biology professor Seith Reice, learned how to write a grant proposal from start to finish. Reice is a recognized expert on stream diversity and the author of The Silver Lining, about the positive effects that forest fires, floods and natural disasters can have on ecosystems.
Foote, a biology and philosophy major, admits the class was intimidating at first.
“But it’s probably the most practical course I’ve taken at Carolina,” said Foote, whose proposal combined breast cancer research and nanotechnology. “I didn’t know how to set up the research, how to get money. Dr. Reice brought in all these amazing speakers. They gave us a checklist of things to do if you want to be successful.”
Bobbi Owen, senior associate dean for undergraduate education, said introducing students to how knowledge is created is something that first-year seminars and undergraduate research do very well. First-year seminars give students an early opportunity to study in small groups with leading faculty, and the Office for Undergraduate Research encourages students to participate in research and helps them find ways to fund their projects.
“We’re not trying to train students for specific jobs that exist now, because as they enter the workforce, and later in their lives, those jobs won’t be around anymore,” Owen said. “Instead, we have to teach students how to think, how to discover and develop new knowledge. We need them to create new solutions, ideas and approaches. By engaging them in that process early on, we set them on the right path for the future.”
‘Research is cool’
Carolina undergraduates don’t just dabble in research: They use the acquired skills and knowledge to learn for the rest of their lives.
Gergel was among the first class of 16 students to earn the Carolina Research Scholar distinction. The seeds of the new program began with the administration of former student body president Eve Carson. Research scholars must complete the introductory Modes of Inquiry class and two research-intensive courses, and present their research at a symposium, professional meeting or conference.
Gergel was one of the students involved in planning the new program.
“In a similar fashion to the Public Service Scholars program, I wanted to create a culture that says ‘research is cool.’ And I wanted it to be something not just associated with students in a lab … I wanted it to [encourage] students in the performing arts and studio art and humanities and philosophy.”
John Meyer ’09 also graduated as a Carolina Research Scholar. He’s taking a year off before applying to medical school. His undergraduate research took him to Honduras, where he pursued a different approach to medical research. He used literature to examine the issue of trust and how doctors take on different personas in the doctor-patient relationship. He observed about 700 doctor-patient interactions in North Carolina and Honduras.
Meyer, a comparative literature major with minors in Spanish and chemistry, said he began to make connections in all of his classes at Carolina through pursuing research.
“It teaches you a way to approach a problem, and all of your classes become more tied together,” he said. “It gave me a focal point, and it’s an opportunity to put your skills and knowledge to use. … It lets people know what you’re passionate about.”
Biology professor Pat Pukkila, the university’s ambassador for undergraduate research, has been directing the Office for Undergraduate Research since its inception. In 2007-2008, College faculty reported that they had mentored 1,310 undergraduate projects. And 56 percent of graduating seniors received course credit for at least one research-intensive course in which over half of the class time was devoted to conducting original research and presenting their research conclusions.
“When I first started in this job, it seemed overwhelming, but students have really embraced the idea of undergraduate research — and that is thrilling,” Pukkila said. “I think what I’m most proud of is when I walk across campus now I can really imagine every student being influenced by some program in the Office for Undergraduate Research.”
This excerpt is from a fall '09 Carolina Arts & Sciences magazine story by Kim Weaver Spurr. Read the complete story online at http://college.unc.edu/magazine.
