Research with faculty intrigues and attracts more undergrads

Senior Daniel Holland and anthropology professor Stevan Harrell work on a CD-ROM version of Harrell’s research in Southwest China.

Anthropology professor Stevan Harrell didn’t know quite how an undergraduate’s help could fit into his research.

Most undergraduates can’t write or speak Chinese, nor do they have many of the sophisticated research skills needed to be a valuable part of a team working half way around the world, Harrell said.

Then he met senior Daniel Holland, who showed him how invaluable an undergraduate can be.

The eager and innovative anthropology and art history major wanted his senior thesis on the St. James Festival in Loiza, Puerto Rico, to include an interactive CD-ROM. Harrell also had mulled such an idea for his soon-to-be-published book on Southwest China.

The two decided to work together to make both projects happen, spending many Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons just learning the basics for creating a CD.

“We were willing to learn it together,” Harrell said.

They have. And they now both believe CDs will soon become a common and vital part of anthropology. With it, researchers not only can share more of their written interviews and observations but also provide video and sounds of the dancing, singing and cultural nuances difficult to capture solely on paper.

Holland will present their project at tomorrow’s second annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, which has doubled in size from its debut last May.

The six-hour symposium will fill the HUB with more than 150 research projects in a mix of formal presentations and poster displays.

The UW Seattle and UW Tacoma students who were selected to be in the celebration of undergraduate research worked with 132 faculty members in 70 different departments during the past year. Research reflects the work of freshmen to seniors, who were paired with longtime and junior faculty. Many of the participants also are Mary Gates Scholars—undergraduates who won grants that allow them to focus on research with faculty.

“The great thing about this university is that it’s a place that’s dedicated to discovery,” said Fred Campbell, dean of undergraduate education. “Students reach the highest level of learning when they go beyond the classroom and work with faculty on original research.”

Wendy Raskind, associate professor in the department of medicine, agreed. Raskind currently juggles three undergraduates—one more than she likes to have to preserve the quality and quantity of time she can spend with each of the students.

“It’s a much broader experience for them than anything they could get in a class,” she said, especially if the faculty member has created a project that’s meaningful for the student.

In a typical lab class, a student can follow a list of procedures and get known results. In a research lab, students need to be able to anticipate alternative outcomes and react based on their knowledge, she said.

“They can learn what life is like after you go out and get all these degrees and whether they like it,” said Raskind, adding that not all decide to stay and that’s OK, too.

But the work of undergraduates isn’t free labor, Raskind stressed. Training inexperienced undergraduates to work in a lab takes time, energy and money. Additional support and funding for faculty who work with these students is needed, she said.

Evan Bernstein is one of only two freshmen chosen to present at the symposium. In his spare time and not for credit, he helped communications professor David Domke with a survey on politics.

The first-year student said the experience helped his transition into college life and personalized his first year at the University.

“Being a freshman, this is a rare opportunity and something that has stretched my thinking tremendously and opened my eyes to the world of politics and stereotypes within,” Bernstein said. “It also feels good to get involved. I was very involved in high school and feared becoming a number in college.”

For Holland, the payoff for doing research as an undergraduate also was big.

“It was a breath of fresh air and an empowering feeling. It gets you more charged for other classes,” he said. “This school is so big, it’s real easy to feel like you’re flapping in the wind.”

Instead, Holland has learned to digest and process the mounds of field information gathered during an excursion, giving him the skills he’s going to need as a graduate student. Working with Harrell also got him thinking about his future research and how he wants to tackle the profession.

“He’s got a head start and that’s real important,” Harrell said. ¶

Molly O’Connor

The Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held from noon until 6 p.m. tomorrow in the HUB. The event is free and open to the public.