Provost supports new undergraduate research opportunities

Provost Jamshed Bharucha has expressed his support for increasing the prevalence of research among undergraduate students, a recommendation recently made by the Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience in its second interim report.

"Small liberal arts colleges have strong teaching but don't have the research base. Large research universities have the reverse," Bharucha said. "Tufts has both, and we should build on this unique character."

The Task Force's second report calls for a much broader and more inclusive program for undergraduate research opportunities. "We propose a program that would encourage and support undergraduate engagement in research and other kinds of engaged learning as informed by the developmental model," the Task Force said in its report.

Increased research opportunities will promote stronger bonds between faculty and students, help students learn leadership skills, and allow graduate students from the other schools within the University to come into closer contact with undergraduates in Arts, Sciences and Engineering, according to the Task Force.

Students who head their own research projects can also learn valuable skills that a classroom setting cannot provide. Such a complete learning opportunity can become "personally meaningful and contextual," Bharucha said.

Many students also endorse these new opportunities. "I think research is an excellent opportunity for us to have a graduate-level experience in an undergraduate setting," said sophomore Lauren Fein, who participated in the Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) symposium this year.

Research is also a great way to connect with Tufts alumni, Fein said, because of the University's wide range of alumni careers and connections. "It seems like there is an alum everywhere," Fein said.

In order to promote greater participation in research opportunities, the Task Force recommended that avenues for projects become more encompassing and inclusive. "We do not want research to be construed in any narrowly defined disciplinary sense, but to be understood as applying equally to the different types of work produced in the arts, humanities, sciences, social sciences, and technological fields," the interim report said.

Though there are already opportunities in place which provide students with research avenues, such as the Institute for Global Leadership, the Task Force seeks to create an emphasis on new opportunities, as well as make more funds available to finance student projects.

Students currently have recourse for research support through the Institute of Global Leadership, which encompasses EPIIC and the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspectives (TILIP). Sophomore Elliot Hirshon and freshman Kari McIntyre, who were a part of the EPIIC program this year, hope to use EPIIC and University funding to travel to Australia over spring break to study restrictive governmental immigration policies towards refugees.

"We want to see whether the government is using immigration policies to fuel a false sense of insecurity in order to hold a political position," Hirshon said. "All across the world, you see a harsher immigration policy. We'd like to see if Australia's new procedures are going to be the norm or if they will stand out as excessive."

If Hirshon and MacIntyre receive sufficient funding, they will travel to Australia and create a documentary by interviewing officials, reporters and the Australian public about the new policies.

Hirshon and MacIntyre will also present their findings at the Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 29, which typically includes about 40 students who present their projects. Students who show their work at the symposium participated in EPIIC, TILIP, or found other avenues for research.

Students who have conducted research often agree with the benefits ascribed to it by Bharucha and the Task Force. "This was a very valuable experience to have as an undergraduate," MacIntyre said.