CMCI is pleased to contribute to the research efforts at the University of Idaho and provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on field experience. Why is it important? President Chuck Staben recently asked David Pfeiffer, Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, the same question and shared his answer in the Friday Letter –
President Chuck Staben: Why is undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity so important? What do such opportunities mean for students?
David Pfeiffer: Research projects, scholarly activities and creative activities are fundamentally different from class work and the experience of doing them can engage students in wholly different ways. They demand a kind of tenacity and creativity that often isn’t fully realized in traditional classes and labs. Collectively, they are recognized as among a handful of high-impact educational practices that help foster critical thinking skills, innovation and independence in students. As such, these experiences help better prepare students for success during their degrees and beyond, regardless of their career path. Employers are not in the dark on this, and they are increasingly looking for evidence of these types of experiences on students’ resumés.
To read some of the current stories on campus about on-going research projects, check out Vandals in Focus 2018, which features some of the fascinating experiences available to students.