The award from the Chemistry Division supports an Undergraduate Research Centers (URC) planning grant. The PI is Preetha Ram. The co-PIs are John H. Hall of Morehouse College, Lilia C. Harvey of Agnes Scott College, Rigoberto Hernandez of Georgia Institute of Technology and Dennis C. Liotta of Emory University. The initiative will also involve partners from Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia State University and Spelman College. The overall aim of the partnership, AURA (Atlanta Undergraduate Research Alliance), is to explore mechanisms to expand the reach of undergraduate research to include students who under present curricula, culture and infrastructure would not participate in significant undergraduate research experiences. It will identify infrastructure, communications and resources required to create an URC, identify the cultural and institutional barriers to undergraduate research and provide a foundation to bring reform and enrichment of curricula through undergraduate research experiences. AURA will develop, investigate and test the feasibility of models that can expand the reach of undergraduate research and be shared with a wider audience. The planning grant will implement a pilot project to introduce first year students to research techniques, provide students at smaller colleges with greater access to interdisciplinary research, and build research collaborations that will maximize research opportunities and accomplishments that include mechanisms for sharing research instrumentation and facilities, and development of cyber-infrastructure to facilitate inter-institutional undergraduate research communities. The partners will explore mechanisms to expand AURA to other institutions.
