Incorporating Undergraduates into Informal Engagement Programs

Undergraduate research benefits students by improving their confidence, research, collaboration, and networking skills (Larracey et al., 2022; Linn et al., 2015). However, there is a need to understand the broader impacts of undergraduate research programs themselves (Haeger et al., 2020). While undergraduate research is often incorporated into Broader Impacts (BI) proposals, undergraduates are less frequently involved in developing and implementing BI engagement programs.

Since 2023, The Connector has hosted The Columbia Young Scientists Expo, an annual drop-in science expo. This event provides a low barrier-to-entry engagement program for faculty to incorporate engagement into their research. In 2024, partnerships were developed with multiple faculty members to incorporate undergraduates into the Expo with specific job roles. The intent of this integration was to involve the undergraduates in higher levels of learning by including them in the development and delivery of programs.

This session will explore the process from both the faculty and the undergraduate perspectives. We will explore the benefits and challenges of incorporating undergraduates into the engagement process to better understand their roles and autonomy. We will also highlight the role of The Connector in creating the engagement space.

Haeger, H., Banks, J. E., Smith, C., & Armstrong-Land, M. (2020). What we know and what we need to know about undergraduate research. Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research, 3(4), 62-69.

Larracey, C., Strobach, N., Lirot, J., Matthews, T. C., & Robinson, S. (2023). "A Place to Be Heard and to Hear": the Humanities Collaboratory as a Model for Cross-College Cooperation and Relationship-Building in Undergraduate Research. Innovative Higher Education, 48(2), 219-238.

Linn, M., Palmer, E., Baranger, A., Gerard, E. & Stone, E. (2015). Undergraduate research experiences: Impacts and opportunities. Science (New York, N.Y.). 347. 1261757. 10.1126/science.1261757.