Mentoring HandbookA faculty handbook for mentoring

undergraduates in research and scholarship

Georgia Regents University1120 15th St.

Augusta, GA 30912P: 706-729-2094 E: CURS@gru.edu

gru.edu/CURS

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The Georgia Regents University’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) is pleased to publish its second edition of the CURS Faculty Mentoring Manual. This manual serves as an excellent resource for faculty new to mentoring undergraduate researchers or experienced faculty looking to hone their skills. The manual contains essays from faculty and student contributors. This edition contains one new faculty contribution from Dr. Martin David Jones and one new student contribution from Asma Daoudi. This second edition also includes more information about the programs CURS has to offer.

Since the last edition was released the CURS Advisory Committee wrote a mission statement. “The mission of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship at Georgia Regents University is to promote and support undergraduate research, scholarship, and cre-ative activity that enhances student learning, professionalism, and critical thinking, by engaging students and faculty mentors in the complete research process from discovery to dissemination.” This manual serves to further promote and enhance the CURS mission.

Drs. Joseph A. Hauger, Jessica Reichmuth, and Debra van Tuyll volunteered their time to cre-ate the first edition of this manual and we thank them for their generosity and dedication. We would also like to thank Dr. Martin David Jones and Asma Daoudi for their new contributions. Robbie Smith in the Educational and Collaborative Technology Center was also a great help in designing the new edition.

Sincerely,

Abigail M. Drescher, MA CURS Program Coordinator

A Letter from CURS

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Faculty Contributors

Trinanjan DattaAssistant Professor of PhysicsCollege of Science and Mathematics

Todd A. HoffmanAssociate Professor of English Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Martin David JonesProfessor of MusicKatherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Debra van Tuyll Professor of Communications Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Predrag PunosevacAssistant Professor of Mathematics, 2011-2013 College of Science and Mathematics

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Asma DaoudiBachelors of Cell and Molecular BiologyAnticipated Graduation May 2016Honors Program Student

John-Michael GarnerBachelors of Arts in Communications and Professional WritingGraduated May 2013

Andre PattersonBachelors of Science in PsychologyGraduated May 2013

Harry “Jake” ReedBachelors of Science in ChemistryGraduated May 2013

Leah SmithBachelors of Arts in English and Creative Writing Graduated December 2014

Student Contributors

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How CURS can Help you! Abigail M. Drescher, MA 6-7

On the Virtues of Undergraduate Research Dr. Todd Hoffman 9-10

The Undergraduate and the History of Journalism Dr. Debra van Tuyll 11-12

Undergraduate Research and the Field of Mathematics Dr. Predrag Punosevac 13-14

Mentoring in Theoretical and Computational Physics Research Dr. Trinajan Datta 15-17

Undergraduate Research in Music Composition Dr. Martin David Jones 18-19

Writing Part of a Published Book as an Undergraduate JohnMichael Garner 21

My Experiences with Undergraduate Research in the Field of Psychology Andre Patterson 22-23 CURS Research Experience Leah Smith 24

Undergraduate Chemistry Research Jake Reed 25-27

Research on the Health Sciences Campus Asma Daoudi 28-29

Table of Contents

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The Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, also known as CURS, is a program designed to help encourage faculty-led and student in-volved research for undergraduates at Georgia Regents University.CURS encourages faculty and students from disciplines across the board to get involved in research not only to better the students and faculty involved, but to also help better the university as a whole. The program provides opportunities beyond basic research; it offers access to alternative types of learning, better edu-cational experiences and a vast number of other opportunities.

Programs CURS has several programs that encourage faculty-led undergraduate research. One of the longest programs is the CURS Brown Bag Seminars. The Brown Bag Seminars are held on several Fridays throughout the spring and fall semesters in the JSAC Ballroom. These seminars give students the opportunity to practice presenting their work in front of a large audience. They also serve to show the university community the breadth of research that takes place at Georgia Regents University. Applications for these seminars are accepted at the beginning of each fall and spring semester.

The CURS Grant program also accepts proposals at the start of each semester. Faculty can submit proposals for funds that fall into three categories: supplies and materials; faculty travel with students for undergraduate research activity; and faculty development related to undergraduate research and schol-arship. The size of grants awarded vary each grant period based on funding. All disciplines are encouraged to apply for funding.

The other program that CURS offers is the Summer Scholars Program. Proposals are accepted in the middle of the spring semester. This program pro-vides stipends for faculty and students to conduct research in teams over a six week period. Student development sessions are also held weekly. The program culminates with the Summer Scholars Symposium where students present their research at a poster session.

I. How CURS can Help you!

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CURS maintains a website that contains various resources including a database of current undergraduate research opportunities. If you are currently looking for undergraduate researchers, please visit our website to register your opportunity. Students, depending on their department, can earn credit while conducting research. This course is usually listed as 2990 or 4990. Starting in the summer of 2015 CURS will offer zero credit courses that are open to any student in any major: CURS 2990, 3990, and 4990. This class allows students to earn recognition for research on their official GRU transcript. It is a pass/fail course. Please contact the CURS office if you and/or a student are interested in these courses.

Staff and Location Within the past several years, the program has supported many research projects, but one of the major achievements for the program was its move into its first physical space. CURS is located in the Quad Wall building on the Summerville campus.

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As the professor, you probably have a better idea of what your students are capable of than they do, so if you feel like you’ve got a project that would be per-fect to do, you should do it. Your students are bright young men and women who are enormously capable. Yes, there will be extra work, but in the end, you’ll have better prepared students who will make you and your program look really good to employers and to graduate schools. Further, they’ll be more engaged in future classes, and that means they’ll be positive role models for other students.

- Debra van Tuyll, PhD

II. Faculty Perspectives

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One of the most fruitful experiences I have had as a university professor at a teaching intensive university is the privilege of working intimately with a student or small group of students on independent research projects. Because my training is in both philosophy and literature, and because our English department is situated in a position in the university where it necessarily must emphasize composition courses for the core or survey courses for the ma-jors, being able to engage students in my areas of interest and expertise while simultaneous-ly developing ideas in the field is rare. Independent studies in which I can mentor students engaged in research not normally done in the classroom is an ideal means of advancing both my research interests through teaching more comprehensively and with more detailed nuance subject matter of interest to both me and the student(s). In short, the mentoring situation is fulfilling both for the benefits it affords the student as well as the instructor. In a field like English or philosophy, research generally consists of close readings, locating and studying secondary materials that helps explicate, interpret or theorize the prima-ry materials, and then constructing a coherent and organized paper that articulates a unique position on the primary ma-terial. Especially with philosophy, but no less so with literary criticism, the readings are dense, the discourse complex and very often one is required to learn about other fields that must be assimilated to the research claims. For many students, the comprehension of dense writings like a philosophical trea-tise or an abstract theorizing of a literary text is enormously confusing and daunting. By acting as a mentor, I can rig-orously go over the ideas presented in a text, and elicit out of the student an understanding of the various stakes involved in a particular issue covered, through systematic close reading. Furthermore, we can discuss how other scholars have injected themselves into the conversation so that I can foster in the student both the ability to assim- ilate a variety of ideas into a coherent whole—that is, create a more complete understand-ing—and simultaneously elaborating a unique position based on informed scholarship.Furthermore, because the mentoring of students also is meant to lead to a concrete result—namely, in the case of my discipline, a research paper—there is the added pleasure of seek-ing forums for the student(s) to present their work to an audience of their peers. I have had students present at both regional and national conferences where they have acquired the experience of a professional atmosphere in which scholarly debate and discussion over spe-

On the Virtues of Undergraduate Research Todd Hoffman, PhD

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cialized subjects are made. Students learn how to present their arguments through speech and presentation, how to defend their positions in a group setting, how to critique or explore other presentations in a sober and serious-minded academic venue comprised of an audience of both their own peers but also other scholars or professors. Students invariably come away from a con-ference with a greater appreciation of the field. In addition to these virtues, the student(s) fre-quently meet other students and faculty from diverse universities to discover graduate programs and open possibilities for their future. All of this is the result of undergraduate research mentoring. Only positive benefits can come from a close working relationship between a student and a professor. The student learns the discipline, gains in proficiency in his/her chosen field and acquires the confidence to build toward a future. I, for my part (being at a teaching intensive university), gain a surprising num-ber of ideas for my own research, continually refresh my knowledge of material, learn many new areas of the field, and acquire a reputation as a teacher worth working with. In essence, both of our careers are advanced.

Dr. Todd Hoffman is an Associate Professor of English in the Department of English and For-eign Languages at Georgia Regents University.

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Mentoring graduate students in research - that’s child’s play. Graduate students are highly motivated. They’re skilled and knowledgeable in your field, and they’ve made the choice to invest the time and resources to delve more deeply into their passion. Mentoring undergraduates, well, that’s a lot like being a parent – rewarding when it’s all over, but a whole lot of hard work and an occasional headache along the way. In a sense, you literally are taking on your students to raise when you agree to do research with them – to raise as the next generation of scholars who will create the new knowledge that will keep your field vibrant. That part is exciting, but there are less exciting parts, too. Undergraduates are still unformed. They don’t have extensive knowledge or experience in your field, and, if they’re like mine, they’re intimidated at the thought of actually engaging in real research. You’ve got to provide discipline, structure, and support so that your students can succeed without becom-ing discouraged. In my experience, this starts when I’ve decided the best way for a group of students

to learn something they need to learn is by doing research. I’m not one of the lucky ones, like some of my science col-leagues, for example, whose students have come to them, asking to do research. Generally the first step is to tell a class that they’re going to be engaging in a research proj-ect. The second step is to drown out the groans with reas-surances that it really is going to be okay – that they really can complete the project. The best example of this happened in the fall of 2011 when I announced to my journalism history class that they would be writing a book that semester. I’ve found that students in that class actually engage more with the subject matter if they’re working on a research project. I’ve also found over the years that they’re more likely to engage

with the research project when I choose a local topic. I’d gotten the idea for the book when I was listening to the radio as I was driving to school one morning the previous spring, and I heard an ad announcing WGAC’s 70th anni-versary. Radio stations are ephemeral things. If they last 10 years, they’re old hands in the in-dustry. To be around 70 years was an amazing achievement, and one that just might be worth a book, I thought. Initially, I thought to do the book myself, but as I thought more about it, I realized that this would be a perfect student project. I could teach them what they needed to know about archival and secondary research pretty quickly. So, all I had to do was wait for the fall when my class would be offered.

The Undergraduate and the History of Journalism Debra van Tuyll, PhD

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I announced the project the first day of class, and rather than the usual groans, my an-nouncement was greeted by a stunned silence – followed a few seconds later by groans. We did lose a few students along the way – several dropped the class, though not in any larger numbers than usual. However, those who stayed with me now have a book chapter with their name on it in a commercially published book - not a bad resume builder for an undergraduate. It’s not a bad resume builder for a professor either, to be able to claim an editorial credit for a book you motivated students to write. We won’t talk about the hours I spent over Christ-mas holiday, editing the chapters into publishable form – but that’s part of your job as a book editor and as a professor – to put the work in yourself to ensure students succeed and end up with a project they can be proud of. The point here is that, as the professor, you probably have a better idea of what your stu-dents are capable of than they do, so if you feel like you’ve got a project that would be perfect to do, you should do it. Your students are bright young men and women who are enormously capable. Yes, there will be extra work, but in the end, you’ll have better prepared students who will make you and your program look really good to employers and to graduate schools. Further, they’ll be more engaged in future classes, and that means they’ll be positive role models for oth-er students. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Dr. Debra van Tuyll is a Professor of Communications in the Department of Communications at Georgia Regents University.

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Undergraduate Research and the Field of Mathematics Predrag Punosevac, PhD

Mathematics is a very old and important part of human culture. We find its origins in the human attempts to quantify the laws of nature. It is tempting to think of modern math-ematics as a cult of truth, founded by Isaac Newton three hundred years ago. Whatever your views of this subject, it is easy to recognize some of its features: abstractness, precision, rigor, indisputable character of its conclusions, and finally, the exceptionally broad range of its ap-plications. One of the most common questions I am asked by people when they learn that I am a research mathematician is “What do people research in Mathematics?”. They usually go on to state that in mathematics everything is already known since we know that two plus two is four. Much like in any other discipline mathematical research is work which is undertaken systematically to increase the stock of knowledge by discovering new theorems or proving existing hypothesis, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or existing problems, or develop new theories. The principle reason that people and students in particular have such a hard time con-templating that somebody can discover something new in mathematics is that their knowl-edge limits their ability to ask really hard open questions. Unlike in disciplines like Astronomy where even major discoveries are made by amateurs, mathematics require substantial familiari-ty with the existing body of knowledge before the research can take the place. Unlike a biology research project that might help discover a critically-needed vaccine the implications of theoretical mathematical research on our everyday’s life appears to be less obvious. Nothing could be further from the truth as every time you use your cell phone, turn on your mp3 player, watch a movie, pull your credit card to pay a bill, or even get a flu vaccine you are just enjoying the fruits of theoretical mathematical research. Upon my arrival to former Augusta State University, I took a formidable task of try-ing to engage undergraduate students in mathematics research. My previous experience con-sisted of mentoring a small team of students during the 2007 Arizona Summer Program on Mathematical Modeling, an NSF sponsored 4-week research experience for undergraduates at the University of Arizona. Most participants in the Arizona program were graduating seniors who were already admitted into graduate programs or were contemplating going to graduate school. As my audience in Augusta was very different I decided to have another approach. It is very important for any advisor engaged in undergraduate research and undergrad-uate research in mathematics in particular, not to underestimate the potential for original undergraduate research. It is all too easy to create failure by expecting failure than it is to give students an exaggerated view of their own abilities. Mathematics research is difficult, but there’s no reason to make it even more difficult by creating an atmosphere where failure is the expected norm. In my point of view ability to think clearly and originally is far more import-

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ant in doing research than factual knowledge and familiarity with current literature. My selec-tion process is long and starts early in the fall semester when I ask interested students to sign up for the Putnam Mathematical Competition. The Putnam competition is the annual mathemat-ics competition for undergraduate college students in the United States and Canada and is held on the first Saturday in December. The problems are very deep and require ingenuity rather then applications of learned facts. During the Putnam preparation season preceding the competition I meet with students once a week for two hours to work on problems. We usually sit quietly to-gether around the table and work individually until somebody makes progress on a problem. At that point the person who thinks that she/he made progress tries to convince the other team members in the correctness of her/his solution and write up the proof. It should come as a no surprise that I am not always the first one who makes a progress. Seeing me struggling with problems is usually a very humbling experience for students. Sometimes our sessions end up as a lectures initiated by students question about unfamiliar notions in their attempt to understand a question. The attrition rate during the preparation season is very high and taking a Putnam test in December is usually a very strong indication of exceptional mathematics aptitude if not ability.The actual research starts in the spring semester following Putnam preparation season. It starts by me asking students to read a recent research article and propose a question worth investi-gating. The amount of knowledge required to understand recent progress usually far exceeds student familiarity with the subject and requires from them to become squinted with new math-ematical ideas on their own in very rapid fashion. It is of paramount importance at this stage not to forget that the goal of doing mathematics research is not learning the subject but rather discovering new things. This puts a great responsibility on the mentor on one hand in assigning student doable problems and on the another hand preventing them from just studying. It is of-ten the case that the problems I assign students lead to no results. Sometimes after a few weeks of hard work, a student makes no significant progress. In these situations I give a new problem to the student. Matching students and problems is a tricky process that requires a lot of educated guessing tempered by experience which I have not quite mastered yet. Finding suitable problems is an even greater challenge and I am on the constant lookout while reading peer reviewed journals, talking to experts in the field, and leaders of better known REU programs. Creating a local database of suitable papers/problems would be a great addition to my current GRU effort. It is absolutely mandatory that students write their work in a format suitable for publication in a research journal. If you don’t write up your results, it’s just as if you didn’t even get them at all. Writing for publication is an important aspect of being a professional mathematician. The publication process can be a very intimidating experi-ence, even for experienced mathematicians. Without help, most students would not even realize that their work is of professional caliber. At the end of the spring program students are also required to give a presentation on their research to other interested students and faculty.

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Mentoring in Theoretical and Computational Physics Research Trinanjan Datta, PhD

During the summer of 2000 I was offered a research internship at Harish Chandra Re-search Institute in Allahabad, India. A summer research opportunity for physics majors at Indian research institutes was a rarity and I was ecstatic. My reason for excitement was twofold. First, I would be involved in theoretical physics research. Second, this opportunity could be a means to resuscitate my aspirations for a physics career at a moment when I was going through an academically difficult time. For the next two months, as I participated in the research process, I went through a period of self-discovery, intellectual growth, and confidence building. My topic of investigation “Gauge theory in superfluids” was in theoretical condensed matter physics. It gave me a research direction to pursue. Seven years later I obtained a doc-toral degree from Purdue University in theoretical condensed matter physics. This is the rea-son why I believe in undergraduate research and its ability to transform a student’s academic experience. I began my tenure at the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Georgia Regents University (Augusta State University at the time) in 2007. Dr. Andy Hauger had a clear vision for the new faculty – engage physics majors in research. I was thrilled to find myself in such a position due to my past experiences with undergraduate research. My doctoral expertise was in theoretical nanophysics. However, I was interested in branching out to a new topic of investigation magnetism. I decided to establish a research group in theoretical and computa-tional classical and quantum magnetism involving undergraduates. Engaging undergraduates in theoretical and com-putational physics research can be a challenging task. The typical preparation level of physics major is not adequate enough to engage in meaningful research. The thought of involving an undergraduate student in theoretical physics research is usually met with two responses – difficult and boring. In such a case faculty initiative can play an import-ant role. An aggressive strategy which is organized, effective, and offers the students a meaningful experience and not just a programming or algebra exercise is a must. With these thoughts in mind, over the last six years through trial and error, I have implemented the following strategy to engage students in theoretical and computational physics research:

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Talent spotting: I am constantly on the lookout for students, in my introductory and ad-vanced physics class, who are interested and passionate about physics. I am open to both physics majors and majors from other disciplines. When I identify a student who I think fits the rigor, standards, and demands of my research group, I approach them with an offer to join the group. Vetting & acceptance: This is a one year period in which students sign up for a one credit physics research course. It is a skill building time where the assignments are carefully chosen so that the student can learn the necessary analytical and computational skills which will aid them with their future projects. At the end of the one year period if the student and I decide to pursue our collaboration we begin working on the main thesis project. I also encour-age them to attend the special topics courses that I offer each semester. Special Topics courses: A special topics course is a supplement to the research mentoring process. It is a vital component for building a competitive research program of high standards. I offer such courses to help the students overcome the hurdles of advanced knowledge required to engage in high level theoretical and computational physics research at the undergraduate level. The main goals of these courses are to provide exposure and content expertise to concepts and ideas typically reserved for graduate level studies. Results, presentation, & publications: Through regular meetings I work very closely with my students to ensure that they find new results which they can present at local, regional, and national conferences. I also mentor my research students on how to communicate effectively and clearly to audience members from both within and outside their scientific discipline. I place strong emphasis on how to write scientific papers to be eventually submitted for publication to a peer reviewed journal or conference proceedings. Mentoring after graduation: Finally, I am a strong believer in mentoring my research students even after their graduation in order to help their transition into graduate school or any other professional career they choose to pursue. Since 2007 I have supervised physics, mathematics, computer science, and biology majors in research. The topics have included classical and quantum magnetism, non-equilibrium statis-tical mechanics, synchronization and chaos, motion of a magnetotactic bacteria, and spintronics to name a few. I have mentored more than 20 undergraduate students, for at least two semes-ters, from both Georgia Regents University and from Sun Yatsen University in Guangzhou, China. Based on my experiences, I have found that undergraduates have a fear less and creative attitude towards their projects. Since they have not been exposed to higher level theories, their unadulterated minds can solve complex problems with simple strategies. Their enthusiasm to-wards a project can be infectious and truly inspiring for a faculty member. Through the process of mentoring undergraduates I have learned new topics and tech-niques. I have utilized the results of their projects to venture into new research collaborations with professors from other institutions nationally and internationally. The extramural grants

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that I have received from the National Science Foundation and from the Cottrell Research Corporation are based on projects that involved undergraduates as lead investigators.Undergraduate research is an academic phenomenon in both the United States of America and all across the world. Undergraduate research, once seen as an optional activity in a uni-versity curriculum, is now the norm. It is expected that the best and the brightest students will engage in some form of research activity for at least a semester before graduation. I feel honored to have been involved in this academic revolution. As a professor, I have always felt that engaging and mentoring undergraduates is a privilege and not a burden. I encourage fac-ulty from all disciplines to experience the joy of mentoring an undergraduate student at least once. It is truly a rewarding experience.

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Undergraduate Research in Music Composition Martin David Jones, DMA

Undergraduate research is an important aspect of the entire collegiate curriculum. While undergraduate research is most often identified with the scientific disciplines, it is also very important in the arts. I will be focusing on two courses which deal with music composi-tion and its research components. “Contemporary Theoretical Techniques” (MUSI 4220) and “Classical Composition” (MUSI 1810, MUSI 3810) are two courses I have taught at Georgia Regents University that have a strong research component. “Contemporary Theoretical Techniques” is a classroom course and “Classical Composition” is a one-on-one meeting with a student (similar to a pri-vate lesson.) Both courses involve the study of contemporary classical music. The methods for delving into this discipline involve both an analytical study of certain music and the creation of compositional projects. Research takes place during both analysis and composition. Real analysis of twentieth and twenty first century music cannot take place until a stu-dent has reached the upper divisional level. A thorough knowledge of harmony and ear train-ing skills are necessary to process the complexities inherent in sophisticated classical music. As a starting place for twentieth century compositional study, I often begin with Claude Debussy. In Debussy’s music there are a number of contemporary techniques that the student encounters. These include: Use of Church Modes, Multi-level Sonority, Chord Planning, Whole-tone scales, Octatonic Scales, Pentatonic Scales, Unresolved dominants, 7th 9th 11th and 13th chords, and bi-tonality. I use several Debussy pieces where the student can find these compositional devices. His Two Books of Piano Preludes as well as the famous Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun are wonderful resources for the student. Once a student has studied pieces by Debussy and understood the compositional tech-niques used, the student can then attempt a composition in that style. This is indeed very ex-citing for the student and the professor, because the results are original and completely unpre-dictable. What a student does with what they have learned is unique to that student and often very different then the Debussy model. Other compositional styles that are studied include the Second Viennese School of Arnold Schoenberg and his disciples. Techniques from the Second Viennese School include Twelve-Tone Row technique and Serialization. Igor Stravinsky and Béla Bartók are studied for their techniques of Cellular Manipulation, Additive Meter, and Exotic Scales. The Amer-ican renegade Charles Ives becomes a whole study unto himself with his idiosyncratic use of harmony and polytonality. And the study of the Minimalists, John Adams, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich is very important and relevant in current compositional trends. Things can become even more interesting when a student wants to study and analyze a piece of music that is somewhat current and does not fall into an easy classification. The the-

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oretical analysis by the student is indeed original research. And this can include Jazz, Popular, and Cinematic Music. Often the compositional techniques they have already studied are still present, but in a new context and in different combinations. The insight into what makes every piece of music work in a theoretical sense is one of the most important insights we have as mu-sicians. And only through this study can the student learn to compose in the style that interests them. As the student begins composing a piece, they usually start with an opening idea. At this point, my job as a teacher is to start asking them questions about where the piece goes from that point. A sample set of questions from me (the instructor) might be: 1) Are you going to expand this opening idea or keep it as it is? 2) What is your next section going to be like? 3) What compositional techniques do you expect to explore in this new section? I might actually suggest general compositional ideas. 4) For instance, do you want to use more dissonance or less dis-sonance in order to create more contrast? I might suggest a particular compositional technique because I have a feeling it might work. 5) What is your overall form? (While it might seem ideal to know the answer to this question before one starts composing, the actual compositional process can be very fluid. Once you compose your opening idea, it sets up a whole new set up possibilities that might change the original formal blueprint.) In terms of overall form, a dis-cussion about lengths of sections becomes really important. So much of composition is about formal organization, and a teacher/mentor should always be encouraging the composition stu-dent to be aware of the overall form and growth of their piece. As Georgia Regents University achieves its goal of becoming a Research 1 University, I believe compositional study with its research component will be even more important in our departmental curriculum. I feel most fortunate to be part of this aspect in our music program and I see great potential in what our student composers can and will be doing. (Image: Dr. Martin David Jones (left) with his student Luis Armando Rivera. Luis performed at a CURS Brown Bag Seminar in 2014. )

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II. Student Perspectives

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Writing Part of a Published Book as an Undergraduate JohnMichael Garner

During the Fall 2011 semester, as part of Professor Debra van Tuyll’s History of Journalism course, I had the great fortune of participating in one of the most enriching and beneficial endeavors of my undergraduate career. During the first week of that class, Dr. van Tuyll informed the students that our principle assignment for the semester would be to write a book documenting the history of WGAC, Augusta’s venerable radio station. Two to three students were assigned to each prospective chapter of the book and were charged with recounting the story of a specific period in the station’s often mercurial and always fascinating annals. Initially, the task seemed daunting. The sum total of my experiences contributing to a book amounted to exactly zero, and while I had grown up listening to WGAC, I knew pre-cious little about the station’s background. What I did know was that many long nights of researching, writing and editing were ahead. But after I came to terms with the challenges that lay before me, I embraced the project with a zealous enthusiasm. Here was a rare oppor-tunity to have my name on a published book before I even completed my bachelor’s degree, an honor that I figured could only reap tremendous benefits. To my surprise, the research component of the assignment proved to be tremen-dously rewarding, even fun. Gathering information about WGAC’s history through personal interviews with some of the station’s most recognizable voices, such as Austin Rhodes, Harley Drew, and Mary Liz Nolan, proved to be very enjoyable, and the vast breadth of knowledge that each personality was able to impart made the writing process considerably less cumber-some. Augusta’s WGAC Radio: The Voice of the Garden City for Seventy Years was released in March 2012 by The History Press and has earned numerous awards since that time, including the Georgia State Department of Archives’ Award for Excellence in Documenting Geor-gia’s History. Last October, I accompanied Dr. van Tuyll and a few of the book’s coauthors to Atlanta to receive the award. The trip served as a reminder that the book’s impact on those of us who were fortunate to contribute to the project did not end when the book hit the shelves last spring. The prestige of having written an award winning publication will benefit us for the rest of our lives, and perhaps now more than ever as many of us graduate and enter the job market. Thanks to Dr. van Tuyll’s ambitious vision, we have an achievement to our name that few people of our age or any age, for that matter can boast.

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My Experience with Undergraduate Research in the Field of Psychology Andre Patterson

My research experience started when Dr. Richard Topolski approached me with a very intriguing topic. He had already compiled a large group of researchers but he said he could use an extra mind to contribute, and I jumped at the opportunity. Beginning in early 2012 and con-tinuing to this day, I have learned from Dr. Topolski and Dr. Patton how to properly conduct research, from creating a solid methodology to dealing with ethical issues. Something that I have witnessed in other undergraduates who are conducting research is that they are rather passive in their work. My research experience was the exact opposite. I was very involved in contributing to the research, and bringing new ideas to the table was highly en-couraged from all members of the team. While it has been a lot of work, it has been more than worth it. Through this experience, I have gained two amazing mentors, and that is something I would not trade for the world. Dr. Topolski has been a great influence on my education as he has literally transformed me from novice researcher to someone who regularly reads psy-chological journals to stay current with the latest research. Dr. Patton has been the model that I greatly look up to and try to mimic in terms of how to cover every single aspect of a project to ensure the greatest depth of detail. Because of my work on this project, I was awarded the Outstanding Senior in Psychology Award for 2012. My personal environment has also been a benefactor of this research as I have become close to many of my research team members and look forward to engaging in research with them in the future. Through this, I have created networks with close to ten individuals who are amazing researchers. Through this specific project, I have also been funded by the university to attend national and regional conferences to present this research. In November of2012, the Pamplin Student Research and Travel Committee awarded this research group close to $3,000 in order to travel to Tampa, FL, and present at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. We were also given funds in order to travel to At-lanta and present at the Southeastern Psychological Association annual meeting in March of 2013. In other words: I got college credits, free travel to mul-tiple cities, multiple presentations to go on my cur-riculum vitae, and met a multitude of terrific men-tors and coworkers all for engaging in research. All of this was from my first ever research project. Being a part of this has also greatly helped me prepare for more research projects.

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Around the same time that I was preparing to leave for Tampa, I began another research proj-ect with Dr. Quentin Hartmann for a research methods course. I cannot thank Dr. Hartmann enough for letting me be the major contributor to that work; she believed in my abilities and allowed for me to become the first individual to ever present at Georgia Regents University’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Brown Bag Series. I cannot thank these three professors enough for what they have done to further my education. For students looking to get into research, I stress the aspect of being a contributing part of any research project you are on. Do not become simple onlookers, be an active participant; while it may be more work, it is more than worth it. For mentors looking for students for their research, I believe that faith in students is what helps them succeed more than anything else. Look at your student researchers as individuals who can possibly be in the position that you are currently in. We must all start somewhere. Shape your students to become the best researchers that they possibly can be. Dr. Topolski, Dr. Patton and Dr. Hartmann have all showed faith in me and shaped me into the researcher that I am. As a research mentor, what you teach your students will stick with them as they further their education.

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Early on in my undergraduate career, I found myself doing “accidental” research when I participated in the Informative Speech contest, sponsored by the Department of Communi-cations and Professional Writing. I thought I was merely learning about Cults and teaching others about them but I wrong. I was creating within myself a hunger to know more about many things. Then it dawned on me that this is what research is. Two years later in a creative writing class, I found myself faced with an assignment that asked me to research something or someone relevant to the CSRA and to create a body of poetic work from that research. Soon afterwards, I was up to my ears in articles and books about the Milledgeville Insane Asylum – and I loved it. Often times I find that research is believed to be a daunting task with no place for enjoy-ment, but that could not be farther from the truth. Not only am I able to educate myself and others as a result of what I am researching, but I am able to inform my art in ways that I never realized possible. For that reason, I can assuredly say that I have grown in the realm of academia and in my personal life because I have been able to expand my knowledge on a variety of subject matter. For me research is interdisciplinary, and that is provocative. I am currently working on poetry collections that combine mathematical theory and logic with romantic relationships while simultaneously researching sinkholes in hopes that I may be inspired to respond to my findings poetically. I was indeed blessed to have the mentor that I did in Professor Anna C. Harris. She is not afraid to take an animated personality like mine, challenge it and push it. Professor Harris is the perfect blend of hands on and off mentoring in that she provides effective feed-back and challenging questions while allowing me to think freely and encouraging me to take risks—to be brave. If I were able to offer any wisdom to other mentors it would be to encourage your men-tees and to take risks and challenge whatever they believe their best is because it is usually just short of their true potential. Push, push, push them to take their minds to the intellectual and creative limits and they will be forever grateful that you did.

CURS Research Experience Response Leah Smith

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For almost two years now, I have been conducting chemistry research at Georgia Re-gents University under the direction of Dr. Chad Stephens. I have worked on various research topics, such as developing a new teaching lab, and synthesizing new compounds as potential drugs to combat HHV-6 (Human Herpes Virus-6). I have been proud to be a part of a chem-istry research team at Georgia Regents University. I was afforded the opportunity to travel to Leuven, Belgium to participate in HHV-6 research with Dr. Lieve Naesens, one of Dr. Ste-phens’ collaborators. Dr. Naesens is an expert on HHV- 6, and it was an incredible experi-ence working with her research group. The purpose of this essay is to tell you about the in-credible research experience that I had in Belgium (and also a little bit about Belgium French Fries), and the amazing opportunities that I gained because of my involvement inundergraduate research. I began conducting research under the tutelage of Dr. Stephens in the summer of 2011. I was attempting to add a new experiment to his multi-step synthesis lab that he teaches in his Organic Chemistry II lab. He and I were discussing different research topics, when he informed me that he collaborates with somebody in Belgium, and he was considering send-ing a student to visit the lab in Belgium and learn a little bit about virology. I immediately said, “I want to do that.” Considering this was my first semester conducting research with Dr. Stephens, he smiled politely and said, “Maybe…. we’ll see.” But after six months of planning and sequestering funds, Dr. Stephens had organized a trip where I would spend 6 weeks at the Rega Institute for Medical Research in Leuven, Belgium learning about virology and conduct-ing experiments under Dr. Naesens. By the way, HHV-6 is the causative agent of Reseola In-fantum, a rash and fever that develop in infants in the first 3 months of life, and is also likely associated with the pathogenesis of many other diseases, including multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and some cancers. In May of last year [2012], I packed my bags and caught a flight from Atlanta to Brussels. Initially, Belgium was very disorienting, and Dr. Naesens, my point of contact at Rega, had given me a 1 hour window to get through customs, collect my bags, buy a train tick-et, and catch the train. Needless to say, I was a little late arriving. I was only late by an hour, and after a taxi ride and a couple of calls, I was settled in my room in the guest house. Upon arrival, I noticed how Leuven, Belgium was a beautiful city. The most incredible site in Leuven was the Gothic style town hall, which is located across from a wonderful Gothic cathedral in the center of Grote Markt (great market). Leuven is home to Katholieke Unversiteit Leu-ven (KU Leuven), which is one of the largest and most prestigious universities in Belgium. Stella Artois is also brewed in Belgium. Naturally, one of the other most popular sites in Leuven, Belgium is the longest continuous string of bars in Belgium, which is located in Oude

Undergraduate Chemistry Research Jake Reed

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Markt (Old Market). Another interesting thing I discovered while on my journey if you believe, as I did that French fries originated in France, you would be a fool. Just kidding, French fries are a misno-mer that developed from WWI American soldiers palling around with Belgian soldiers, who primarily spoke French, during the war and mistakenly named the delicious fried potato slices that they were sharing “French fries”. If you die before you have the chance of tasting a Belgian French Fry from a local Belgium “Friture” shops, you will have missed out on something that I would consider essential for any sort of good life. The town hall, Grote and Oude Markt, and French fries were amazing; however, most of my time was spent at Rega participating in research under Dr. Naesens. At GRU in fall 2011 and spring 2012, I synthe-sized 9 novel compounds that have never before been created as potential HHV-6 inhibitors. One of my research goals, while at Rega, was to test these novel compounds for activity against the virus. Some of my other goals were: to isolate the viral target of the effective HHV-6 inhibitor molecules and to de-velop a protocol for a new virology experiment that would be used to analyze the activity of an important enzyme of HHV-6. While in Belgium, I worked very closely with Dr. Naesens and her amazing research group on these projects. Unfortunately, none of the compounds I had synthesized turned out to be active inhibi-tors of HHV-6; however, there were many other positive findings. For instance, we did dis-cover that some of the compounds made by other GRU students were active against HHV-6. I also successfully developed a new antiviral screening method, and this new protocol will be used in the future at Rega as an enzymatic assay to determine the ability of an HHV-6 enzyme to hydrolyze phosphoanhydric bonds of NTPs. All in all, much research progress was made. My trip to Belgium was an incredible opportunity that all started with participating in undergraduate research at GRU. I’m so thankful for the wonderful experiences that I’ve had while being a part of Dr. Stephens’ research team at GRU. The time spent and friends met in Belgium will not soon be forgotten. It was an amazing country, and on the days I wasn’t com-pletely frustrated with my experiments, I was incredibly grateful that I got to visit such a beau-tiful country and conduct research at such a prestigious lab. In the fall [of 2013], I will be attending Weill Cornell Medical School’s MD/PhD pro-gram. I plan on specializing in infectious disease or pathology and earning a PhD in immu-nology. The Weill Cornell MD/PhD program is a joint program where I will be able to decide between Rockefeller’s, Sloan-Kettering’s, or Weill Cornell’s graduate programs. I plan on at-tending graduate school at Rockefeller and working with Michel Nussenzweig on developing

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more potent HIV treatments by developing more effective broadly neutralizing antibodies for HIV. My advice for any current research students would be to keep working hard and stay focused. Research may seem daunting, especially with a busy class schedule, but it is an incredible opportu-nity. Undergraduate research has helped me understand course material at a more fundamental level and has enriched my undergraduate experience by allowing me to feel like I’m contributing to the scientific field on a professional basis. It has helped me affirm my interest in basic science research and afforded me incredible opportunities. I would like to thank Kristin Loom who is the Director of the HHV-6 Foundation, The Rega Institute for Medical Research, and The ASU Foundation. The HHV-6 Foundation provided airfare for round trip plane tickets to Belgium, The Rega Institute provided room and board while I stayed in Belgium, and The ASU Foundation provided additional funding for travel expenses. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr. Chad Stephens, Associate Professor of Chemistry at GRU, for organizing the trip to Belgium and supporting me throughout the entire research process. I am so grateful to everyone who made this trip possible; it was an experience I will never forget!

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Research on the Health Sciences Campus Asma Daoudi

Where do I start? This is a question many students seeking research opportunities ask as they begin to tackle their sophomore and junior years of college. I was one of these stu-dents. As someone who is interested in going into the medical field, there was much that needed to be done before sending in my medical school application. I started volunteering in a lab in the Oral Biology Department on the Health Sciences campus in the summer of my sophomore year. I did not know what I was getting into, but I was offered the opportunity and figured it would not hurt to give it a shot. Just as I was becoming more and more interested in the principal investigator’s (PI’s) project, I realized I needed to begin thinking about a thesis project. Writing an undergraduate thesis is an honors program requirement. This is where it all start-ed. Dr. Tim Sadenwasser, Honors Program Director, highly encouraged me to incorporate my work with Dr. Mohammed Elsalanty, the faculty mentor whom I was already shadowing, into my thesis. This gave me the opportunity to pursue my interest in the project as well as become one of the first students to connect the link between undergraduate research on the Summer-ville campus and graduate labs on the Health Sciences campus. The research I was involved with primarily focused on inducing an untreatable disease, Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (BRONJ), in rats in order to reproduce a reliable animal model that can be then studied to help understand the underlying mechanisms of this disease. We are hopeful this research will lead to possible treatments. The graduate student worked on analyzing several different cellular assays. At the same time my work included analyzing the effects of zolendro-nate, the drug used to induce this disease post molar extractions, on the activity of osteoclasts (multi nucleated bone resorbing cells). The Center for Under-graduate Research and Scholarship (CURS) and the Honors Program also provided me with several opportunities to present my research at the CURS Brown Bag Seminars, Geor-gia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC), Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference

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(GCHC), Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference, and the Southern Region-al Honors Conference. I won 2nd place Outstanding Student Research Award at the GURC and Best Paper in Natural Sciences at the GCHC. So going back to that question, choosing your faculty mentor is the first step in the under-graduate research process. Make sure you are interested in their research and talk to them. Do not expect them to know what is going on in your head. If you have a question, ask. If you are having trouble with an experiment, seek their advice. If you have ideas that you think would enhance your project, discuss it with them. Be flexible and willing to put in many hours of work. Mentors should also be willing to put in a little more effort in order to help their student gain a better understand-ing of the project. Most undergraduate students have not had the research experience that senior or graduate students have had. Therefore, they will need much more attention and supervision in the beginning until they become comfortable with the project. (Image: Dr. Mohammed Elsalanty (middle) and Asma Daoudi (far right).)