UA official: ‘We want every student interested’

LA MONICA EVERETT-HAYNES

Published: 10.27.2006

Tucson Citizen

Tomás Avilez has experienced electric shock, once burned his bedroom carpet and started a small fire in his Volkswagen Beetle – all while tinkering with electronics.

“I would tear things apart – the remotes, a couple of walkie-talkies, the telephone – just to see what was inside them,” said Avilez, 21, a University of Arizona senior studying optical sciences and engineering.

Now, with funding from Lockheed Martin, the Salpointe Catholic High School graduate is trying to create a lighter telescope mirror to send into space to produce high-resolution images in vibrant color.

Avilez represents one of hundreds of high school and undergraduate students involved each year in the type of UA research that historically was reserved for graduates.

An alternative to passive, memory-based learning, research is an emerging model in higher education.

“It’s really important as we talk about engaging learning that we understand this activity is one of the best examples of that,” said Lori Bettison-Varga, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Council on Undergraduate Research.

It’s the type of learning that results in scholarships, internships and co-authored articles published in journals. All make students more competitive as graduate school and job applicants.

Uncovering secrets

In UA President Robert N. Shelton’s first formal address to new students, he encouraged them to jump into research.

“Here, students are often taught by watching (in) real time as the mysteries of our world give up their secrets,” Shelton told a crowd that nearly filled Centennial Hall the day before classes began. “We want to offer you an education that starts in the classroom but doesn’t stop there.”

The picture isn’t perfect. UA does not have a good handle on how many undergraduates are doing original research.

Also, some faculty members prefer not to mentor young researchers, saying it takes away time they could spend teaching and publishing. Funds are sometimes a problem.

When the equation works, the benefits are tremendous, said John A. Szivek, who’s had about 100 undergraduate researchers in his lab in 16 years.

“Every student would benefit from having some sort of lab. I don’t care if it’s engineering, science or history,” said Szivek, a research professor who holds a chair in orthopedic research.

“People who go to work and have to have 15 cups of coffee to stay awake are wasting their time. You have to be passionate,” Szivek said. “When you see something created or when you’re developing something, you become much more passionate about it.”

Not all undergraduates produce something groundbreaking, although some earn fame.

Jason Perry helped analyze information sent back from the Cassini spacecraft circling Saturn and its moons.

Perry, who is an undergraduate, co-authored a journal article about the possibility of water on one of Saturn’s moons.

Nicole Spanovich earned worldwide recognition as the undergraduate steering NASA rovers on Mars. She graduated and now works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Shelton asked his audience, “How many universities do you know of that give that sort of opportunity based on experience and history? There are precious few, and you are enrolled in one of them.”

In 2004, UA spent nearly $480 million on research and development, about a $180 million increase over 10 years.

“Faculty are generally encouraged to bring undergraduates into scholarly research programs,” said Leslie Tolbert, UA’s vice president for research. “The idea is that we want every student interested.”

Students sometimes create new technology and earn patents.

Texas Instruments awarded a team of UA engineering seniors a $500 design award earlier this year after it created a device that generates electricity from the vibrations of cargo being shipped.

That in turn can charge the batteries of devices included in the shipment to track the progress of goods.

Biochemistry senior Thomas Gaj co-authored an article in Chemical Biology & Drug Design.

This week, officials announced UA’s $3.5 million National Science Foundation grant to improve math education and research.

In June, UA’s Undergraduate Biology Research Program got $1.5 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to encourage undergraduate student involvement in research.

Such grants allow UA to broaden its reach to undergraduates who want to contribute to mankind’s store of knowledge while getting an education.

High school researchers

Tucson High Magnet School biology teacher Margaret Wilch has spent a decade connecting UA researchers with teens.

The high school students work in UA labs, participate in competitions and complete research projects.

“This is tremendously important for our society. You have to have an understanding of basic science to think critically about information,” Wilch said.

It’s easier to lure students into science this way, she added.

Lindsay Liebson got hooked.

Liebson, a Tucson High senior, has spent nearly two years working in UA labs and intends to continue her research after high school.

“You can learn a lot from working in a lab that you can’t learn in a classroom: the technical skills, teamwork, networking, public speaking and presentation,” said Liebson, 18.

She has presented a poster on her research, which centers on creating artificial fat cells and attaching proteins to their surface. Her work may result in drugs to treat specific diseased cells more effectively.

As with Liebson, Avilez not only wants his work to improve his academics, but also the world.

“I’m really itching to get out into the work force,” said Avilez, a UA/NASA Space Grant Program intern. “Just by being in the classroom, I’ve seen what I can do and learn.”

additional information

What is undergraduate research?

“An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original, intellectual, or creative contribution to the discipline.”

STUDENT PIONEERS

UA programs that sponsor paid and unpaid undergraduate research include:

-The Undergraduate Biology Research Program offers paid research positions to students working in laboratories in biology and biomedical research.

-The UA/NASA Space Grant offers internships for students in fields that include science, technology, technical writing, engineering and mathematics.

-The McNair Achievement Program is a graduate school preparatory program in which students from underrepresented groups are paired with faculty mentors who share their academic and research interests.

-The Honors College requires students to complete a research project to graduate.

-The Summer Research Institute pairs students with faculty members and encourages participants to pursue graduate studies.

-Hooked on Photonics is a 10-week lecture and workshop-based summer program that provides students with competitive stipends and the ability to create work that may be published.

-Collaborative Research in the Chemical Sciences: In the chemistry department, the 10-week program calls for cross-campus collaboration and places students in research laboratories for at least one week.

WHY CARE?

Across the country, university research has helped in the development of:

-Childproof safety caps

-The Pap smear test, which detects cancer cells in female reproductive organs

-Satellite camera technology, which helps in weather forecasting, military surveillance and space exploration. It led to the introduction of the global positioning system.

-Gatorade, invented as a way to help University of Florida football players

-Vaccines and treatments for people, pets, plants, poultry and livestock

-The first digital computer, which led to everything from improved manufacturing to computer-generated imagery in movies

-CDs, cell phones and computer hard drives

-Improved education for children from low-income families

-Ways to preserve endangered languages

-The first atom smasher, leading to nuclear weapons, power and medical tools

Source: Association of American Universities- The National Council on Undergraduate Research