Students looking for research opportunities find new aid

While Penn prides itself on being considered a research institution, a lack of accessible resources and advising has meant that the University's reputation has not always reflected reality. But many Penn students, faculty and staff hope that today's official opening of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships will change all of that. Located on the second floor of the former Christian Association Building in the heart of campus, the Center will advise all undergraduate students on research opportunities at Penn and how to apply for post-graduate fellowships. Former Harrison College House Dean Art Casciato is heading up the center, which draws on Penn's key resource institutions -- Benjamin Franklin Scholars, University Scholars and the Office of International Programs -- and brings them under one roof on Locust Walk. "We want to significantly increase the number of undergraduate students and faculty who are engaged in the culture of research," Casciato said. Previously, undergraduates may have been unsure about where to go for research advice, because opportunities were only advertised by honors programs -- BFS and University Scholars. But by bringing together the key research resources at the University, the center plans to raise student awareness of research opportunities at Penn as well as encourage those conducting in-depth research to consider applying for fellowships. Casciato noted that one of his goals for the center is to encourage faculty members to include undergraduate students in more of their projects, which in the past have been skewed toward graduate students. "I want to change the status quo," Casciato said, adding that he wants it to "eventually seem more natural for students to take up research projects." The creation of such a hub for undergraduates is not unique, however. In 1997, the Undergraduate Research Center opened with many similar objectives. However, the center was only open from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, limiting the number of students who could utilize it. The center ended up closing shortly after its establishment. The need for a research center was put back on the University's agenda when Provost Robert Barchi assumed his post 18 months ago. "This has been something that has been very high on my [priority] list," Barchi said. He added that he hoped the center would contribute to "facilitating the involvement of undergraduates" in the research environment at Penn. Recruiting more qualified applicants for the most prestigious fellowships is considered a top priority for the project. Barchi cited "facilitating participation in competition for prestigious scholarships and fellowships" as an important mission of the center. For although Penn continues to pride itself on its status as a premier research institution and boasts of being consistent winners of fellowships like the Marshall Scholarship, Penn has not scored a Rhodes scholar -- considered the most prestigious of post-graduate fellowships -- since 1990. The University has made recent attempts to encourage capable students to pursue post-graduate study under such fellowships. OIP has been working with BFS, Career Services and the College Office to increase interest in these fellowships. Clare Cowen, who will advise and coordinate post-graduate fellowship applications and comes to the Center from the OIP, noted that bringing students interested in research -- which is a general prerequisite to a successful fellowship application -- and fellowship advising together will "increase the number of good Penn applicants" to these post-graduate fellowships. Casciato and Barchi both said that the Center is open to all undergraduates -- not just those interested in the hard sciences. Casciato said he will even encourage pre-professional students -- who make up a sizable proportion of Penn's undergraduate student body -- to pursue research and fellowships. "I want to see students as involved in Rhodes and Fulbrights as they are in Smith Solomon Barney and Goldman Sachs," the director quipped.

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