Research matchmaking part of new position

Undergraduate research gets a boost this fall with WSU’s addition of a part-time interim director.
David F. Bahr, associate professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering will fill the position, which was recommended last spring by independent consultant Robert Shoenberg.

The position — which makes its home in the Office of Undergraduate Education — also evolved from recommendations to work towards a center for undergraduate education by the interdisciplinary Committee on Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity, chaired by Tom Dickinson, professor of physics.

“Universities aren’t just where students are taught and ‘research’ isn’t just something done in a lab coat,” said Bahr. “It is when we are creating and discovering. It is the faculty and students creating new knowledge. It happens in classrooms, labs, field studies, libraries and beyond.”

The plan is to foster an environment where every student who wants hands-on experience can get the opportunity, he said. Data indicates that today less than 25 percent of WSU undergraduates participate in some type of research.

Bahr will form a committee to:

• Define undergraduate research in a way that addresses the rights and responsibilities of students, faculty mentors and involved outside entities, such as companies providing financial support.

• Identify and begin to pursue fund-raising opportunities.

• Set up a computer-based matching system so students interested in research can connect with faculty on projects of interest.

Bahr has been involved in the “Research Experience for Undergrads” summer program in engineering for eight years. With more than $600,000 in National Science Foundation funding, 89 students from WSU and other leading universities have conducted research and achieved 30 publications in academic journals and proceedings.