The Transforming Power of Undergraduate Research: An Observation

Many colleges and universities have adopted and incorporated undergraduate research into their programs. The students who perform undergraduate research gain valuable experiences working through the research process and the... [ view full abstract ]

Many colleges and universities have adopted and incorporated undergraduate research into their programs. The students who perform undergraduate research gain valuable experiences working through the research process and the colleges and universities who offer undergraduate research get to promote the opportunities to prospective students.  In this paper, an undergraduate research project performed by a student is discussed. The results of the study and impact of the research are presented.  The positive impacts of the research far exceeded those established at the beginning of the study.  Although the results are presented for a particular study, the observations undoubtedly apply to many other undergraduate research projects performed at many other colleges and university.  The purpose of the paper is to discuss a typical undergraduate research project and present the observed higher-level impact of the undergraduate research project since the full benefits may not be readily apparent at the start of any project.