ATHENS, Ga. –– Twenty-eight University of Georgia freshmen have been selected to work closely with faculty mentors on year-long research projects through an apprentice program offered by UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. The students will receive a $1,000 stipend per semester for a maximum of four semesters. The freshmen participants join 11 returning sophomores in the program.  

The CURO Apprentice Program, housed in UGA’s Honors Program, introduces undergraduates to the rigors of conducting research ranging from the humanities to the sciences, while establishing a community of scholars who connect with each other through CURO-sponsored academic enrichment activities. These events include invited speakers from other universities and outside organizations and service-learning projects that reach out to the local community.  

“I am pleased by the increase in the number of CURO apprentices and am thankful for the strong support of Provost Arnett Mace which has made this possible,” says David Williams, director of the Honors Program. “Having this opportunity at the undergraduate level kindles a passion for learning and inquiry in students that is truly exciting to observe. The skills these students acquire and the close interaction with our very best faculty members give them a leg up on the competition as they go to graduate or professional schools or head into their careers.”

One benefit of the program is giving the apprentices the opportunity to work with faculty with similar research interests. For example, Leigh Creighton, a second-year history major, has interests in international law, human rights and public policy. By working with faculty mentor Stephen Shellman and his NSF-funded Project Civil Strife, she is gaining additional knowledge about her subjects and learning critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary for a career in a social science field.

Project Civil Strife focuses on studying the dynamic relationships among governments and terrorist groups, guerilla groups and transnational insurgent organizations with Creighton concentrating on the Philippines.

“My research mentor says he will provide assistance with any individual project I want to do,” says the Stone Mountain native. “All I knew about the Philippines before this project was how the country had a Spanish background and U.S. relations.  Now I’m thinking about doing a project related to hunger, diet, and how the American diet has changed the health of Filipinos.”

“It is important for undergraduates to get exposure to academic research whether or not they plan to attend graduate school,” says Shellman, a professor in international affairs and UGA alum who has Creighton and four other apprentices on his research team. “Knowing about the research process and participating in it first-hand gives students an edge up in the real world in all professional positions. They are able to make informed decisions about the information presented to them and ask the right questions concerning the validity and reliability of the research.”

Athens native and Clarke Central High School valedictorian Christina Huang understands another unique advantage of CURO—direct contact with an outstanding researcher like Ying Xu, the Regents-Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Bioinformatics. Huang, a chemistry and biology double major, is learning how specially-designed computer programs analyze DNA sequences and genes to better understand their complex structures and functions. 

“We sincerely want the CURO Apprentice Program to serve as a magnet program for attracting students who value learning alongside faculty in the research environment,” says Pamela Kleiber, associate director of the Honors Program who oversees CURO. “With the addition of a National Science Foundation grant last spring, we were able to invite outstanding high school seniors, CURO ‘Promising Scholars,’ to campus and six of the seven are currently at UGA, having received apprenticeships and/or prestigious scholarships.”

Four of the freshmen who are now apprentices—Allison Bishop, Hannah Kamau, Gabrielle Gay and Jeremy Jones—were recognized for their science and math achievements at CURO’s undergraduate research symposium in April. They were able to ask questions about the program and meet CURO participants.    

Part of the continued success of the apprenticeship program is due to the senior peer advisors, exceptional CURO apprentices from the previous year who are nominated by their peers. They help facilitate weekly research meetings and provide advice and support to individual apprentices assigned to them. Juniors Caelin Cubeñas, a biochemistry and molecular biology major; Brittany King, a psychology major; and Anjan Deka, a microbiology and religion double major, each mentor a group of 12 to 13 apprentices.

“I think it is incredibly important to have senior peer advisors because within the first week of school, the apprentices know three upperclassmen who they can talk to about classes, future scholarships and goals. I’ve already had many students ask me about how I applied for some of the scholarships I have received,” says Cubeñas, who was recently named a Goldwater Scholar.

UGA’s Provost’s Office and the Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute provide funding for the apprenticeships. The Graduate School also supports graduate student assistantships critical to the management of the program.

Freshmen selected for the apprenticeship program may continue through their second year based upon a minimum 3.0 GPA, a satisfactory performance review and available funding. Membership in the Honors Program is not a requirement.

More information is available at www.uga.edu/honors/curo.

##

NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos are available for download at the following URLs:

http://ugaphoto.alumni.uga.edu/special/christinahuang.jpg

Caption: First-year apprentice Christina Huang is learning how computational tools are used to analyze DNA sequences and genes with the help of her faculty mentor Ying Xu, GRA Eminent Scholar in Bioinformatics.

http://ugaphoto.alumni.uga.edu/special/leighcreighton.jpg

Caption: Sophomore Leigh Creighton is gaining valuable skills for a social science career by participating in Stephen Shellman's Project Civil Strife, a study focused on the dynamic relationship among governments and dissident groups.