Skip to main content
Appalachian Today
News and events at Appalachian State University
  • For the media
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the Media
  • Grants
  • Speakers
  • All Posts
  • Topics
  • Accolades
  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Athletics
  • Awards and Honors
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity
  • Events
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Global
  • Health and Wellness
  • Publications
  • Research
  • Safety
  • Scholarships
  • Students
  • Sustainability
☰ Menu
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the Media
  • Grants
  • Speakers
  • All Posts
  • Topics
  • For the media
  • Archives
  • Contact
  • The university remains open, with emergency management protocols activated and operational modifications and precautions in place. Read the latest updates

The value of undergraduate student research

Students can develop skills needed for career or graduate school success

View larger image

Computer science major Patrick Beekman ’18 uses an Oculus virtual reality (VR) headset in the Media Lab of Appalachian’s Department of Computer Science for his research on creating VR science labs. Photo by Marie Freeman

By Linda Coutant
Posted March 1, 2018 at 2:18 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University encourages undergraduate research, which gives students the opportunity to work side by side with their professors on meaningful research or creative endeavors and then present their findings at regional, national and international conferences.

Students have said the experience raises their skills in critical thinking, writing and collecting and analyzing data — while also boosting their confidence and improving their time management and work accountability.

All this can give a leg up in applying to graduate school or seeking employment, according to university officials.

View larger image

Alumni Holly Skinner ’17, left, and Devin Alewel ’17 examine samples of rat brain tissue to discover which neurons in a variety of brain regions are active after the rodents have performed social preference tasks. Photo by Marie Freeman

“Student-faculty engagement in research, scholarship and creative expression is a hallmark of the Appalachian undergraduate student experience,” said Provost Darrell Kruger. “These high-impact academic experiences are truly transformational. They prepare our graduates to enter the workforce or graduate school equipped to improve the world.”

Working directly with a faculty mentor “prepares them to hit the ground running in a graduate program, or as a new hire,” said Dr. Susan McCracken, director of career development and economic engagement.

Alumnus Chris Eubanks ’13, who is working on his Ph.D. in chemistry at Duke University, said “having three years of research before coming into a graduate program was very helpful.” The opportunity to apply for grants through Appalachian’s Office of Student Research also helped him develop his scientific writing, he said.

Eubanks and his mentor, Dr. Michael Hambourger in the Department of Chemistry, explored new ways to produce hydrogen for fuel cells.

View larger image

Creative endeavors in the arts and humanities are also part of Appalachian’s student research emphasis. Photo by Marie Freeman

View larger image

Emma Jones ’17, foreground, along with other students in Dr. Andrew Heckert’s Finding Fossils on Friday research group, in Appalachian’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, look for microscopic vertebrate fossils in sediment. Photo by Marie Freeman

By the numbers

The Office of Student Research was established in 2005 to expand the opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research and mentored scholarship at Appalachian.

During the 2017–18 academic year:

  • Over $130,000 was awarded to faculty-mentored student research and creative activities.
    • Two-thirds of that funding went to undergraduates.
    • 60 percent was for travel for students to present at regional, national and international conferences/meetings.
  • A total of 588 research grants were awarded.
  • A total of 60 Undergraduate Research Assistantships were awarded.
  • 18 faculty members were nominated by students for the university’s Undergraduate Research Mentorship Excellence Award.

Related links

  • Office of Student Research
  • Research news from Appalachian

About student research at Appalachian

Appalachian State University encourages faculty-mentored student research, which provides students with the opportunity to work side by side with faculty on meaningful research or creative endeavors. These projects often result in presentations, performances or exhibitions at regional, national and international conferences and events. Students who engage in research are able to apply knowledge from the classroom into real-world experiences and learn how to problem-solve, effectively communicate and analyze complex issues. Appalachian’s Office of Student Research (OSR) was established in 2005 to expand the opportunities necessary for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research and creative activities at Appalachian. Learn more at https://osr.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

By the numbers

The Office of Student Research was established in 2005 to expand the opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to engage in research and mentored scholarship at Appalachian.

During the 2017–18 academic year:

  • Over $130,000 was awarded to faculty-mentored student research and creative activities.
    • Two-thirds of that funding went to undergraduates.
    • 60 percent was for travel for students to present at regional, national and international conferences/meetings.
  • A total of 588 research grants were awarded.
  • A total of 60 Undergraduate Research Assistantships were awarded.
  • 18 faculty members were nominated by students for the university’s Undergraduate Research Mentorship Excellence Award.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Research
  • Students

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • University media releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015
  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Research
  • Students

Other Recent Posts

  • App State coronavirus information
    App State coronavirus information
  • Ways to honor Martin Luther King Jr. — service during COVID-19
    Ways to honor Martin Luther King Jr. — service during COVID-19
  • App State senior awarded spring 2021 Rogers and Janice Whitener Scholarship for creative writing
    App State senior awarded spring 2021 Rogers and Janice Whitener Scholarship for creative writing
  • Grant-supported App State project explores relationship between religious studies and public issues
    Grant-supported App State project explores relationship between religious studies and public issues
  • First-generation App State student hammers out a new perspective
    First-generation App State student hammers out a new perspective
  • Magical moments in hospitality brought this Mountaineer to App State
    Magical moments in hospitality brought this Mountaineer to App State
  • A return ‘home’ for The Appalachian News Adviser Allison Bennett Dyche
    A return ‘home’ for The Appalachian News Adviser Allison Bennett Dyche
  • More than $1 billion in NC energy costs avoided, Appalachian Energy Summit reports
    More than $1 billion in NC energy costs avoided, Appalachian Energy Summit reports
  • App State alumni donate 2,000-plus face coverings to Academy at Middle Fork
    App State alumni donate 2,000-plus face coverings to Academy at Middle Fork
  • App State Mountaineer approaches physics with military discipline
    App State Mountaineer approaches physics with military discipline
  • Worms–crayfish relationship affects entire freshwater stream ecosystems, App State research finds
    Worms–crayfish relationship affects entire freshwater stream ecosystems, App State research finds
  • App State alumnus and former NFL head coach Steve Wilks creates Post-Graduate Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship
    App State alumnus and former NFL head coach Steve Wilks creates Post-Graduate Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • University media releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015
  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the Media
  • Grants
  • Speakers
  • All Posts
  • Topics
  • For the media
  • Archives
  • Contact

Appalachian State University

Copyright 2021 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
ucomm@appstate.edu

Abouts

Disclaimer | EO Policy | Website manager: montaldi | Website Feedback

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Snapchat