Occidental's Summer Research Program begins June 1.  Proposals are due February 12 by 5:00 p.m. More information is available here. Check out abstracts of student projects.

About
The Undergraduate Research Center (URC) provides information for students on research opportunities, financial support, and a forum for the dissemination of student accomplishments. It is located in Johnson Hall, Room 100, and can be reached at (323) 259-1414 or via email at urc@oxy.edu.

Occidental's Strategic Plan encourages undergraduate research as a key component of the Occidental experience: "The College's long-held commitment to undergraduate education is also reflected in the emphasis on providing opportunities for students to participate in research and related scholarly endeavors. This focus on undergraduate participation in the creation of knowledge is a principal ingredient of the academic experience of an Occidental student"  (Pursuing the Vision of Excellence and Equity 1997-2001; Occidental's Strategic Plan).

History
Faculty-mentored undergraduate research projects at Occidental can be traced back to 1948 and the research interests of several faculty members in the Biology and Chemistry departments, especially Prof. L. Reed Brantley. This activity received the support of both Presidents Coons and Gilman and expanded during the period 1955-1980 to become an integral part of many science students’ education. Building on the experience and leadership of several Occidental scientists, who helped found the Council of Undergraduate Research in the early 1980s the College, under the leadership of President Gilman and Dean David Axeen, sought to extend student research opportunity to other disciplines, especially the social sciences, with a quarter-million dollar grant from the Ford Foundation in 1987. As one of 19 Ford Foundation awardees, the College recognized the connection between student participation in undergraduate research and graduate training toward a college/university faculty position. Internal and external support for faculty-mentored undergraduate research grew during the 1990’s and in 1998 the College, under the leadership of President Slaughter, received one of ten half-million dollar Awards for the Integration of Research and Education (AIRE) from the National Science Foundation that established the Undergraduate Research Center (URC) with Prof. Chris Craney as the founding Director. The URC merged the College-wide program initiated by the Ford Foundation and the undergraduate research supported by a number of individual faculty and department-centered grants. The URC-administered program encompasses key elements from programs dating back to the 1950’s, including a focus on original research and/or creative work; close faculty-protégé relationship to develop, draft, and implement a proposal; review by a College-wide selection committee; an intense 10-week long, residential, summer research experience culminating in a formal presentation and a published abstract; and an organized series of weekly, plenary seminars, supplemented by small group meetings, and social activities.

Three to six students worked individually with a few faculty members during those first summers in the 1950’s. Since then, the program has expanded to include over 125 students and 60 faculty members during the summer as well as over 200 students during the academic year. Undergraduate research is now recognized as a “signature component” of an Occidental education and nearly every national award-winning student in the last two decades has participated.

From the Occidental Magazine Fall 2004 - "Analyze This" by Andy Faught

2009 Summer Newsletters: May 26, June 1, June 8, June 15, June 22, June 29, July 6,
                                        July 13, July 20, July 27

2008 Summer Newsletters: June 10, June 17, June 24, July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22

2007 Summer Newsletters: May 29, June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23, July 6, July 16

 

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