Wooster Geologist in Bozeman, MT

Promoting undergraduate research doesn’t always mean that we’re trekking across some exotic landscape sampling rocks with our students. Sometimes, it means tackling difficult issues through in-depth conversations with faculty who mentor undergraduate researchers in a variety of settings. That’s why I’m here in Bozeman, MT. I’m on the campus of Montana State University at the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) business meeting. Even the gorgeous weather didn’t distract us from setting an ambitious agenda. We’re going to spend all day tomorrow talking about issues that impact undergraduate research, such as how to advocate for funding, how to convey the benefits of undergraduate research to a broader audience (e.g., policy makers, administrators, institutions), and how best to address the needs of the geoscience research community. CUR’s mission is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. Undergraduate research is rapidly becoming main-stream pedagogy, and it’s thrilling to be a member of the organization that is paving the way.