Many college students dread the thought of a massive research paper or assignment, but undergraduate research doesn’t have to be stressful or daunting. As a member of the ETSU Undergraduate Research and Scholars Organization, I believe in creating a space where all disciplines can produce and share research findings without fear or procrastination.
Many students going on to join a master’s or doctoral program will be expected to publish or complete a lengthy thesis, and we employ research skills in our everyday lives. With the spread of fake news and propaganda, it is imperative that we develop great discernment and fact-finding skills when reading social media posts, online articles or blogs. How many of us have found a retweeted or shared post about some scary or funny title only to discover the event happened a decade ago or didn’t occur at all?
Research literacy is a key to our everyday lives, and ETSU provides many resources to help students get involved in undergraduate research on campus.
The ETSU Undergraduate Research website, has many helpful links. The Research Mentor Gallery allows faculty and students who are interested in doing research to connect, and all you need to do is create a profile and browse. However, not every discipline and faculty member conducting research is present on the page. The Undergraduate Research and Scholars Organization is dedicated to helping students undergoing current research or interested in pursuing undergraduate research. They provide information on upcoming conferences, funding for conferences, how to write and research and practice sessions for research presentations. Their next meeting is Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. in Gilbreath Hall room 212.
ETSU is holding two upcoming research conferences: Boland Undergraduate Research Symposium and Appalachian Research Forum.
The Boland Symposium is open to all disciplines, and the goal is to facilitate the exchange among ideas between undergraduate researchers. Boland is March 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Millennium Center, and the deadline for submission in March 3. The Appalachian Research Symposium is April 20-21, and it is open to all undergraduate researchers. The deadline to submit abstracts is March 13, and undergraduates can only present during the poster’s sessions.
Undergraduate research is a great opportunity because it fills out your resume and gives you life experience. While research takes time and initiative, it pays off in the end.
For more information, contact ignace@etsu.edu or follow @etsuundergradreserach on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for weekly updates.
