Award for the Integration of Research and Education

      Occidental College was one of 10 institutions nationwide to receive a $500,000 Award for the Integration of Research and Education (AIRE) from the National Science Foundation. The awards were made in September, 1998 to national, private liberal arts colleges that "have excelled in providing undergraduates an experience rooted in the process of discovery." Schools in addition to Occidental College who received AIRE grants include: Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina; Colby College in Waterville, Maine; Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa; Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif.; Hope College in Holland, Mich.; Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio; Reed College in Portland, Ore; Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.; and Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass.
     "These institutions are strengthening the bonds between research and education by designing and implementing new ways to involve undergraduate students in the process of discovery," said NSF's acting deputy director Joseph Bordogna. "These new awards help create a discovery-rich environment where institutions and their students can benefit from making research an essential component of college curricula," he added.
     Awardees are expected to provide undergraduates with experiences rooted in the process of discovery and to set the stage for life-long inquiry and learning. Another important element in the awards is the expected sharing of information about the outcomes of integrated research and education with other schools, institutions and the general public.

The Occidental AIRE grant supported six initiatives:

1. Research and Outreach Scholarships - Supporting student researchers who will showcase research, primarily in the sciences, by making off-campus presentations to high school or community college classes.

2. Interdisciplinary and Cross-age Research Teams - Broadcasting the message of research values and opportunities, in part by presenting the results of their experiences to freshmen in appropriate forums when freshmen are making decisions about majors.

3. Web-based Publication and Dissemination - Emphasizing the incorporation of a web-based approach into the fabric of the group’s program so that it becomes an integral part of the process.

4. Marine Science Experience - Extended research on board Occidental’s research vessel Vantuna to high school students and teachers. Teachers took their classes on a cruise to collect data for on-going research projects that were supported by a web-based database of information collected by participants.

5. California Seminar for Foreign Policy and International Affairs - Brought together faculty and students from local colleges and universities to discuss student research papers in areas where science and politics intersect. Issues such as arms control, disarmament, defense, and foreign policy were considered.

6. Undergraduate Research Center  - Coordinating outreach efforts, facilitating interdisciplinary efforts, disseminating outcomes, documenting the activities that comprise the linkage between research and education, conducting evaluation, and presenting the results in publications and conferences under the direction of Dr. Chris Craney, Director of Sponsored and Undergraduate Research, and Professor of Chemistry.

NSF’s review of the proposal stated "Occidental College’s vision is clear and compelling; it is focused on integrating research and education and has led to numerous successful outcomes over many decades. Integration activities are varied and extend from undergrad research opportunities, particularly in the sciences to initiatives to involve a growing number of disciplines across the campus to impressive outreach activities involving community colleges, K-12 and other institutions."
 

Undergraduate Research Center 1600 Campus Rd. Los Angeles, CA. 90041 (323) 259-1414