About Us
WHAT IS MURACE? - MURACE, or Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, is a program which helps undergraduate students at Georgia College & State University with their research through funding and mentoring. We aim to help students through all stages of the research process, from creating an abstract to presenting at a conference, working in tandem with other GCSU resources such as the Georgia College Writing Center to help the research of students in all disciplines reach its full potential. MURACE aims to support the Georgia College mission: “To provide support for academically engaged transformative learning experiences that develop intellectual, professional, and civic skills; and dispositions that enable graduates to thrive in an information-intensive and diverse global society enriching the lives of students and their local and global communities.”
WHERE SHOULD I START? - A good place to begin with your MURACE experience is to come to a Student Research Circle meeting! Here you can chat with other students monthly in a casual setting led by students experienced in research. Click HERE for more information.
WHAT IS UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH? - The Council of Undergraduate Research, or CUR, defines undergraduate research as, "An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original, intellectual, or creative contribution to the discipline(s)." MURACE adopts and adheres to the Council on Undergraduate Research by being committed to inclusivity and diversity in all of our activities, therefore MURACE will increase and nurture participation of individuals and groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in undergraduate research. For more information on CUR, click HERE.
WHAT DOES SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH ENTAIL? - Successful undergraduate research involves: Mentorship: collaborative; serious interactions; clear goals; focus on the student; focus on the student learning process; intellectual engagement of the student and disciplinary socialization. Originality: meaningful contribution by the student; it should be entirely or partially novel; it is OK to reveal more questions than answers. Acceptability: employs techniques and methodologies that are both appropriate and recognized in the discipline; includes a reflective/ synthetic component that is appropriate to the discipline. Dissemination: ideally there needs to be a final, tangible product for which both the process and results are peer-reviewed, critiques, juries, judged, etc.; but we recognize that UR is a continuum between student (process centered) and outcome (product-centered) activities and we value and recognize all student-initiated participation in inquire in and outside of the classroom. For more information about the GCSU vision of successful undergraduate research, click HERE.
Source: Rosalie Richards, Ryan Brown, Kalina Manoylov, Hauke Busch, Robin Lewis (2011)
HOW DOES UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH BENEFIT ME? - Undergraduate research is quickly becoming a signature feature of the public liberal arts experience (Cech, 1999). Undergraduate students engaging in research acquire a spirit of inquiry and creativity, grow intellectually, develop leadership abilities, independence, initiative, sound judgment, persistence, alertness, and patience (Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, and Whitt, 2010) – all of which are dispositions that lead to successful lives and high productivity (Kinkel and Henke, 2006). Moreover, strong positive correlations exist between this type of student engagement and increased student retention (Jones, Barlow, and Villarejo, 2010). UR allows faculty mentors to maintain enthusiasm, professional competence, and scholarly productivity. In several cases, the participating university gains regional, national, and international recognition and may become an institution of the first choice for the best students. Collaborations beyond the campus involving current and future undergraduates have the potential of being transformational while at the same time, giving value to local communities.
FUNDiNG
INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE FUNDING
Undergraduates researching through MURACE can apply to receive up to $500 to go towards travel costs in order to attend conferences around the country. For more information, visit our Funding page, or click here to open the application. If you have already traveled to a research conference, you can click here to open the Student Post-Travel Reimbursement Form.