2019 College Research Week

2019 College Research Week: May 13-17, 2019

 

All Research Week events will take place at the Regenstein Library

Presented and co-hosted by the College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) and the University of Chicago Library.

Kindly RSVP for sessions. 

Monday, May 13th:

Research Skills and Resources

Session Schedule:

Location: Regenstein 122

10:00-11:30am: Introduction to Research Design, led by Sandra Zupan, PhD, Assistant Director of Fellowships and Research, CCRF
The goal of this session it to build your academic skills in research design, which can help you engage in undergraduate research. First, you will learn about the process of narrowing your interest to a research topic, followed by developing a research question and a literature review. Second, you will learn about the practicalities of data collection and analysis, ethical research practice and presenting the findings of the research.

11:30am-12:30pm: Undergraduate Research Funding, led by Tracy Nyerges, Assistant Director of Research, CCRF
This session will help you navigate the various undergraduate research funding sources available to College students across the disciplines. Whether you are new to research or an advanced undergraduate researcher, we will discuss research grant programs and options to fund academic year and summer research experiences for students in all majors. This session will also offer guidance and resources to assist you in planning for and preparing applications for undergraduate research grants and funding.

Location: Regenstein techbar Studio Classroom

1:00-2:00pm: Sharing and Archiving your Research with Knowledge@UChicago, led by Nora Mattern, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Library
Join the Library for a discussion on the principles of open access, how you can make your research poster or paper available to others, and why you may want to do so. Knowledge@UChicago is a digital repository where University of Chicago faculty and students can share and archive their scholarly work. Bring a laptop or tablet (or borrow one from the TechBar) and spend hands-on time with Knowledge@UChicago.

2:30-3:30pm: Managing Your Data and Files, led by Elizabeth Foster, Social Sciences Data Librarian, Library
Whether your data are digital photos of archival records or spreadsheets, this session will provide you with practical tips for naming, organizing, documenting, storing and preserving your data. Making a plan for managing your data and digital files can save you time and potential headaches in the long-run. In this workshop, we’ll begin creating data management plans for a current project and talk through challenges and lessons you’ve learned about effective strategies for managing your digital files. This session is given by Elizabeth Foster, Social Sciences Data Librarian.

4:00-5:00pm: Getting a Head-Start on Your BA, led by Rebecca Starkey, Librarian for College Instruction and Outreach, Library
Are you apprehensive about writing a BA or honors thesis? Don’t worry, there are many resources to support you! Librarian Rebecca Starkey will help you get a head start on your thesis by offering strategies to ease your research and writing. Learn about specialized research tools for your major, methods for locating primary sources at the University and beyond, GIS and data support services, and how to reach the Library experts who can guide you. After the workshop, you’ll be able to take the first steps towards starting this important research project.

Tuesday, May 14th:

Research Fellowships and Undergraduate Research Scholars

Session Schedule:

Location: Regenstein A-11

10:00-11:00am: International Research through Fulbright, led by Nicholas Morris, Associate Director of Fellowships, CCRF
The Fulbright US Student Program is an opportunity to conduct research, study, or teach English for a year internationally after graduation. Thisinformation session will investigate how you can launch your research interests through a funded, post-graduate grant. In this session, we will review the broad purpose and specific components of the Fulbright Grant, including essays, affiliations, and recommendations. We will identify essential components of previously successful grants and help you envision ways to start approaching the essays.

11:30am-12:30pm: National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, led by Nichole Fazio, DPhil, Director, CCRF
The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP) program is one of the most robust and well-recognized national fellowships in support of graduate education (STEM and selective Social Science disciplines). This session will introduce students to the basics of the NSF GRFP, with a focus on the application process and what makes for an especially strong application. Students of any class-standing are invited to attend. We strongly encourage 3rd- and 4th-year students intending to submit applications this coming October to attend. 

Undergraduate Researcher Panels:

2:00-3:00pm: Arts & Humanities College Students
Join us for this interactive panel featuring UChicago undergraduate researchers and creative scholars in the Arts and Humanities. The participating College students will field your questions, talk about their paths and how undergraduate research and creative scholarship has impacted them. This session will be informative to current and future undergraduate researchers and scholars in a variety of Arts and Humanities majors.

Katherine Kamel, 4th-year, Fundamentals: Issues and Texts
Clare Kemmerer, 3rd-year, Art History
Serena Strecker, 3rd year, Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities (ISHum)

3:00-4:00pm: Social Sciences College Students
Join us for this interactive panel featuring UChicago undergraduate researchers and creative scholars in the Social Sciences. The participating College students will field your questions, talk about their paths and how undergraduate research and creative scholarship has impacted them. This session will be informative to current and future undergraduate researchers and scholars in a variety of Social Sciences majors.

Kate Blankinship, 4th-year, Linguistics 
Katherine (Kate) Hodge, 4th-year, Anthropology & History
Sarah Nakasone, recent graduate, Global Studies
Danielle Schmidt, 4th-year,  Philosophy, Public Policy & Human Rights

4:00-5:00pm: STEM College Students
Join us for this interactive panel featuring UChicago undergraduate researchers and creative scholars in STEM. The participating College students will field your questions, talk about their paths and how undergraduate research and creative scholarship has impacted them. This session will be informative to current and future undergraduate researchers and scholars in a variety of STEM majors.

Keir Adams, 3rd-year, Chemistry
Alex Cohen, 3rd-year, Molecular Engineering & Computer Science
Logan Leak, 4th-year, Biological Sciences
Aparna Srinivasan, 4th-year, Biological Sciences

Wednesday, May 15th:

Research and Your Future

Session Schedule:

Location: Regenstein A-11

11:30am-1:00pm: Graduate Student Panel and Networking Lunch [lunch provided]
Join us for this interactive panel featuring the five current UChicago graduate students listed below from various fields. These graduate students will field your questions, talk about their paths to graduate school and how undergraduate research impacted their journeys. You will also be able to chat with these graduate students further after the panel during lunch. Lunch will be provided so please RSVP for this session

Ingrid Becker, PhD Candidate, English Language and Literature
Malte Lange, PhD Candidate, Chemistry
Ishan Nath, PhD Candidate, Economics
Claire Rossien, PhD Joint Degree Candidate, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations & History
Louis Varriano, PhD Candidate, Physics

3:30-4:30pm: Navigating the SBS IRB Process (Human Subjects), led by Cheri Pettey, Director, Social and Behavioral Sciences IRB
This session will explore the history of the applicable regulations, explain how to determine whether a project constitutes human subjects research requiring review, define the basic review process/requirements, and provide some helpful tips for navigating the process. There will be time for questions and students who have gone through the process are welcome to share their experiences and suggestions.

Thursday, May 16th:

Research Mentoring and Toolbox Building

Session Schedule:

Location: Regenstein techbar Studio Classroom

10:00-11:00am: Creating a Digital Portfolio to Share and Present your Research and Creative Scholarship, led by Stacie Williams, Director, Center for Digital Scholarship, Library
Digital portfolios or a personal website can help you to showcase your research, communicate your interests, and develop a professional network. In this session, we’ll explore what makes for an effective digital portfolio and consider decisions when crafting an online identity. This discussion will be followed by a tutorial on using WordPress to create a digital site.

Location: Regenstein A-11

11:30-1:00pm: Research Mentor/Student Pairs and Networking Lunch [lunch provided]
Join us for a lunch-time conversation with student and research mentors across the disciplines to learn more about their work. Students will discuss how they connected with their mentors' project and together they will talk about the process of undertaking their research together. You will also have the opportunity to hear from faculty and scholars across the university community who pursued unconventional career pathways as a result of their research efforts. 

  • Nora Titone, Dramaturge at the Court Theatre and Moyo Abiona, Undergraduate Researcher
  • Julia Koschinsky, PhD, Executive Director, Center for Spatial Data Science and Isaac Kamber, Undergraduate Researcher
  • Nancy Kawalek, Professor, Director & Founder of the STAGE: Scientists, Technologists and Artists Generating Exploration Lab at the Institute for Molecular Engineering, Sunanda Prabhu-Gaunkar, Postdoctoral Fellow, Edison Hong, STAGE Fellow and Moyo Abiona, Undergraduate Researcher 

1:30-3:00pm: Research Proposal Writing, led by Sandra Zupan, PhD, Assistant Director of Fellowships and Research, CCRF
The goal of this session is to help you produce a persuasive research proposal, which can be used for successful UChicago and external grants, national fellowships and graduate school applications. First, you will learn about the structure and characteristics of persuasive proposals, as well as common areas of weaknesses in research proposals. Second, you will learn how to develop paragraphs, organize text and write in a clear, detailed, precise manner.

3:30-4:30pm: GRD101: Preparing for the Graduate School Application Process, led by Arthur Salvo, PhD, Assistant Director of Fellowships, CCRF: This information session is designed for current undergraduates considering graduate school as a part of an academic and professional trajectory.  Whether you are certain that you will pursue graduate education or are just beginning to consider the possibility, this session will introduce you to a) the general process of investigating options, b) the application timeline, c) common application components, and d) attempt to demystify the application and admission process. This is a general session and open to all disciplines and years.  Note: this will not cover pre-professional application processes specifically (eg medical or law school), although some of the application components like personal statements, letters of recommendation and CVs will be discussed as universal components to all application processes. 

Friday, May 17th:

Undergraduate Research Support &
Showcase and Reception

Session Schedule:

Location: Regenstein techbar Studio

10:00-11:30am: Zotero Drop-In Support
Drop by the TechBar for one-on-one training and support for Zotero, a free citation manager that allows you to organize, annotate, and cite your sources automatically in standard styles (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.).

Location: Regenstein 122

Research Poster Showcase and Reception

2:00-2:30pm: Opening Remarks
Professor Peggy Mason, Department of Neurobiology
2:30-3:30pm: Research Showcase
3:30-4:30pm: Reception