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Undergraduate Research at Florida Atlantic University

Few activities are as rewarding as research. In addition to the acquisition of invaluable research skills, students learn how knowledge is created and how that knowledge can be overturned with new evidence or new perspectives. They also learn how to work independently, how to overcome obstacles, and the importance of ethics and personal conduct in the research process. Undergraduate research takes place in every discipline – not only the life sciences and physical sciences but the humanities, social sciences, and creative and performing arts.

As part of the SACS accreditation process, a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) will propose the enhancement of educational quality at FAU beyond 2013. This plan will focus on supporting student learning and on accomplishing the mission of our university. The Distinction Through Discovery QEP takes a multifaceted approach to improving student learning by expanding a culture of undergraduate research and inquiry at Florida Atlantic University. Our faculty and students recognize “inquiry” to be a process and/or a product which encompasses intellectual traits that transcend subject matter divisions. We aspire to create an intellectual community of scholars who are engaged in questioning, exploring and pursuing research and inquiry in all their forms.

Florida Atlantic University supports undergraduate research through:

a system of Undergraduate Research Grants

For the past two years, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies has funded an Undergraduate Research Grants Program which provides financial support (up to $600) for individual students who participate in faculty-mentored research projects. For the 2011 academic year, 37 student awards were funded and 59 were awarded for the 2012 academic year.

the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies initiated an annual Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium in 2010, which provides an opportunity for all students across FAU to formally share the results of their research and inquiry projects with faculty, staff and students. Forty-nine students gave presentations in 2011. The number increased to 54 in 2012.

Join us for the Third Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on the Boca Raton campus on Friday, April 5, 2013, from 10am - 3pm in the Live Oak Pavilion. Contact the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies at 561-297-2126 for details.