{"582139":{"#nid":"582139","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Undergraduate Research is Active Learning","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf your student wants to apply what they are learning in the classroom in an active setting to gain practical experience, then they should look into doing undergraduate research. It is one of the unique and fulfilling opportunities that Georgia Tech offers students as a leading research university.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMisconception\u003C\/strong\u003E: Undergraduate research is only available if the faculty advertises an opening.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe reality\u003C\/strong\u003E: Few undergraduate research opportunities are initiated by a professor posting an opportunity. The best way for students to get involved in research is to review faculty webpages, journal articles, books, presentations or attend a lecture, and when they find something that excites them, they should contact the professor. Tell faculty that they are really interested in their research, giving specific reasons why, and then request a meeting. If students want more guidance on this, they can talk to their school\u0026rsquo;s undergraduate coordinator at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/undergraduate-coordinators\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/undergraduate-coordinators\u003C\/a\u003E, academic advisor, or follow some basic guidelines found at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/get-involved\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/get-involved\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMisconception:\u003C\/strong\u003E Students don\u0026rsquo;t have time for undergraduate research because of classes or jobs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe reality:\u003C\/strong\u003E Undergraduate research is extremely flexible and can be done for course credit or pay.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cu\u003ECourse Credit:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E In nearly every major the research credit counts toward the degree, and it can also be extended to allow a student to graduate with the \u0026ldquo;Research Option\u0026rdquo; \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/research-option\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/research-option\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cu\u003EPay:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E Most faculty have funding through grants to pay students a stipend, but Georgia Tech also has the President\u0026rsquo;s Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA) \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/pura-salary\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/pura-salary\u003C\/a\u003E. Students must apply for this award. \u003Cstrong\u003EThe deadline for Summer 2017 is February 24, 2017, and for Fall 2017 the deadline is May 2, 2017\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cu\u003ETime:\u003C\/u\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E Students can do research for 9 hours\/week or 20 hours\/week depending on their course load. All this is up to the student and the faculty member.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMisconception:\u003C\/strong\u003E Research is only in labs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe reality:\u003C\/strong\u003E There are opportunities in every field. Students have worked with faculty on research in a broad spectrum of topics, from designing robots that explore other planets to collecting coral samples for evidence of past climates to analyzing the desegregation patterns of cities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMisconception:\u003C\/strong\u003E Students can\u0026rsquo;t do research until they are juniors or seniors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe reality:\u003C\/strong\u003E Students can begin research at any time during their undergraduate career.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMisconception: \u003C\/strong\u003EStudents can only do research within their major.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe reality: \u003C\/strong\u003EStudents can do research in any field of study they are interested in at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMisconception:\u003C\/strong\u003E Only a few undergraduate students are involved in research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe reality:\u003C\/strong\u003E Last year there were approximately 2,800 undergraduate students doing research with faculty. There are plenty of opportunities. Encourage your student to explore!\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information on Undergraduate Research at Georgia Tech, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/urop.gatech.edu\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"If your student wants to apply what they are learning in the classroom in an active setting to gain practical experience, then they should look into doing undergraduate research."}],"uid":"27244","created_gmt":"2016-10-05 17:21:39","changed_gmt":"2016-10-05 17:21:39","author":"Sara Warner","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-10-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1298","name":"Parent and Family Programs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EParent \u0026amp; Family Programs\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nparents@gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["parents@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}