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OVERVIEW
OF THE 2007-2008 FELLOWS YEAR
Schedule of Meetings
University Undergraduate Fellows Convocation
General Meetings and Workshops
Research Presentations
TAMU Student Research Week Lay Summaries
TAMU Student Research Week
Fellows Symposium
Senior Honors Thesis
Honors Awards and Recognition Ceremony
Few academic enterprises bring more satisfaction than scholarly research. To ask an important question, to assemble evidence which bears upon it, and to arrive at a persuasive answer or conclusion offers each Fellow a deep sense of personal accomplishment. Moreover, if research success enables a student to produce a paper for a professional meeting or article for a scholarly journal (as has been the case for many previous Fellows), that sense of satisfaction may be enduring. The goals of the University Undergraduate Research Fellows Program are (1) to provide a select group of capable students with the opportunity to conduct independent research in their fields of interest and (2) to provide these students with an opportunity to communicate their research findings to others. Both of these important goals must be met if the program is to be successful. The key tenet to successfully achieving the first goal is for the researcher and faculty advisor to develop a close working relationship. The second goal is achieved through active participation in the Fellows learning and research community. This community is only brought together a few times during the academic year. Consequently, Research Presentations are of particular importance. While all events are mandatory, absence during Research Presentations is especially frowned upon. In these meetings, Fellows exchange ideas, discuss research issues and problems, and share achievements.
If you have not already done so, be sure to register for 3 hours of 485H (491, 497H or 410H in a few departments) in your Faculty Advisor's academic discipline or related field agreed upon by both Fellow and Advisor. Your Faculty Advisor will determine your final grade for each semester. If your home department allows you to substitute 485H hours earned through the Fellows Program for other courses in your degree plan, be sure to submit a petition through your Dean's office to the Registrar making clear any course substitutions well before you plan to graduate.
A calendar and summary of activities for this community of scholars are provided below. The Honors Programs Office will correspond with Fellows and their Advisors using local mailing addresses, and e-mail, as the dates for these events approach. To get more information about the Fellows program, visit Fellows Program Overview.
September 6 - General Meeting |
September 11 - Convocation for Fellows & Advisors |
October 11 - Workshop: Creating interesting presentations, including finding the right format for your topic. |
October 25 - Research Presentations: Your Research Question |
November 8 - Workshop: Using EndNote® / Writing your progress report. |
December 7- Progress Report due to advisor (advisor report due December 14) |
February 24 - Workshop: Using technology and other methods of presenting your research methods, Student Research Week, and abstracts. |
February 7 - Research Presentations: Your Research Method and the Knowledge it Can Produce |
February 21 - Electronic copy of abstract for Student Research Week due |
| March 24-28 - Student Research Week |
April 3 - General Meeting and Workshop: Thesis formatting / Submitting thesis to TxSpace / Submitting thesis to Honors Programs Office. |
| April 15 - Honors Thesis with signed approval form due |
April 24 - Fellows Symposium with reception |
May 1 - Advisor completion report due; last day for expenditures to be turned in against research budgets. |
May 8 - Honors Recognition Ceremony |
*For specific meeting places and times, please consult the Fellows calendar you received in your binder.
University Undergraduate Fellows Convocation - Convocation is the first public event for University Undergraduate Research Fellows. The provost, guest speakers, University Teacher Scholars, faculty advisors, and honors program staff officially welcome the Fellows class into the academic community and provide it with its charge for the academic year.
General Meetings and Workshops - Attending general meetings and workshops is mandatory. Here you will learn the expectations and guidelines for completing and submitting the thesis as well as presenting your topic at the research presentations. Each workshop will focus on a different topic. Also, food will be provided (Fellows should bring their own beverages).
Research Presentations (Fall) - Presentations provide an opportunity for Fellows to share the research progress they have made with other members of the group. The Fellows have been divided into small cohorts of students with broadly compatible research interests. Students will have the opportunity to make their presentations to their colleagues and advisors, focusing on the specific topic assigned for each set of presentations. The audience will be invited to respond with questions, constructive criticism, and advice. In keeping with the professional standards, collegial expectations, and rich traditions of this academic community, all Fellows are expected to attend all presentations and strongly encouraged to participate in these important discussions. Each student is allotted 10 minutes to present his or her research, including questions and answers. The fall presentation topic is Your Research Question: How did you arrive at your research topic/problem/question? Why this topic? Why are you the best person to research this topic or answer this question? How did you frame your topic? Where is there a gap in knowledge? For more guidelines on how to develop your presentation, see Presentation Guidelines.
Research Presentations (Spring) - By this time, Fellows should be well advanced in their research. For these presentations you will discuss Your Research Methods: How are you analyzing your data? What knowledge is produced from this method? Again, the audience will be invited to respond. Think of these sessions as opportunities to seek advice and to share experiences that may be helpful to other Fellows. Each student is allotted 10 minutes, including questions and answers (15 minutes for symposium). Fellows are expected to attend all presentations. For more guidelines on how to develop your presentation, see Presentation Guidelines.
TAMU Student Research Week Lay Summaries - Fellows are required to participate in Student Research Week. Lay Summaries, i.e., abstracts, should be submitted to the Student Research Week web site at http://srw.tamu.edu and to Cindy Raisor at c-raisor@tamu.edu. See Student Research Week resources for more information on preparing your lay summary.
TAMU Student Research Week - Activities during TAMU Student Research Week highlight the contributions of students to the scholarly activities of the University. As the premier research program for undergraduate students, Fellows present the progress of their research to the University community and the lay public. See the Student Research Week website and Student Research Week resources for more details on lay summaries (abstracts) and poster and oral presentations.
Fellows Symposium - Research is rarely worthwhile if it is not communicated to others. On these nights, each Research Group will meet to hear formal presentations (approximately 15 minutes, including questions and answers) of completed research by the Fellows. The topic is Your Results: What have you found out? What does your research show? Audience response may help Fellows evaluate the success of their research. For more guidelines on how to develop your presentation, see Presentation Guidelines.
Senior Honors Thesis - No research effort is complete until a carefully written record of the activity is prepared and submitted for review. It is important for Fellows and Advisors to lay out a plan for research early in the academic year that will give each Fellow sufficient time to do a proper job on the thesis itself. Specific formatting instructions will be offered early in the spring semester. Theses submitted in each Research Group will be reviewed by a committee of faculty specialists who will present an award for the best thesis submitted by a Fellow in that group. In addition, each Faculty Advisor will evaluate his/her own Fellow's thesis and award a final course grade. In keeping with tradition, copies of Fellows' theses are published with other theses and dissertations in the Digital Repository Library at Texas A&M University (TxSpace) and are accessible through LibCat . Keep in mind that many of the best theses have been turned into scholarly papers and articles. Fellows are highly encouraged to pursue the publication of your work; this is doubly true for those Fellows who intend to go on to pursue graduate studies.
Honors Awards and Recognition Ceremony - The Provost, the Director of the Honors Program, and other University officials will be present to recognize each graduating Fellow successfully completing the University Undergraduate Fellows Program. The award-winning thesis and presentation in each research category will also be honored at this time. 2007-2008 Fellows not graduating at this time are also invited to attend.