Undergraduate Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions: Current State and Dilemmas

Abstract

The growth of undergraduate research (UGR) in popularity and depth in the past 25 years is greatly owed to primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). Studies have shown that laboratories at academic institutions are broadly either student- or research-focused: the former is more common in PUIs, and the latter in research-intensive institutions. However, the student-oriented approach is more beneficial to the studentand, in the long run, the scientific community. The student-centered approach combats the unsustainable shift in scientific academia toward productivity over progress, an intensifying issue in research. The shift encourages researchers to resort to tools like artificial intelligence instead of working thoroughly and incrementally toward new knowledge. With young researchers inheriting this mindset, we worsen our understanding of the knowledge we have and that which we could learn. As an undergraduate student majoring in both STEM and the humanities as well as participating in biochemistry UGR at a PUI, I believe part of these problems arises from a lack of information literacy (IL). The foundational concepts of IL teach the iterative process of research and instill a respect for the creation of information. These ideas reflect the supportive culture of PUIs that initially allowed students (and, in turn, their institutions) to flourish within research.