Council on Undergraduate Research


The Council on Undergraduate Research is a membership organization founded in 1987 that supports the activity of undergraduate research. It sponsors various activities and events at campuses around the US to enhance the undergraduate research capacity of both faculty and students. Its office, staffed by an executive director and support staff, is in Washington, DC.

History

In 1987, the Research Corporation, particularly Brian Andreen, facilitated the establishment of a group of twelve research-active chemists from primarily undergraduate institutions to support and develop undergraduate research. This group expanded and added councils in physics and astronomy, biology, geology, psychology, and other areas. The all-volunteer organization nominated and elected new councilors as those serving stepped down until 1990, when CUR voted to open itself to membership like most scientific organizations. Currently it has both individual and institutional memberships.
CUR has meetings periodically to decide on directions and activities. In addition to membership meetings, CUR has dialogues with the major governmental funding agencies in the Washington DC area, workshops on how to set up and successfully run an undergraduate research program at a college or university, undergraduate research presentations, and other topics. It has published directories of undergraduate research in chemistry, biology, physics, geology, psychology, and other fields as well as books advocating and explaining undergraduate research. It publishes two journals, CUR Quarterly and Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research.

Merger

In 2010, CUR and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research merged their two organizations to form one, with CUR as the umbrella organization presenting a National Conference on Undergraduate Research annually.

Events and activities

The Council on Undergraduate Research offers NCUR annually and also offers posters on Capitol Hill, dialogues with NIH and NSF, a business meeting, a one-day conference for faculty mentors, and workshops on ways to develop undergraduate research programs. CUR also runs a consulting service and a program review service. CUR presents several awards including CUR Fellows for both faculty members and students. It has a speakers bureau and a registry of undergraduate researchers.

Leadership

Presidents of the Council: