A s peer-reviewed research has shown (Elrod et al. 2010), involvement in a faculty-mentored culture of inquiry concerned with authentic, real-world questions, issues, or ideas can be a transformative experience for students. Given this fact, since 2009, students at Loyola Marymount University have had access to a range of programs to facilitate their engagement in scholarly research and creative activities. These include the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Especially since the establishment of the Office of Undergraduate Research in 2012, participation in these programs has grown substantially, with approximately 10 percent of all undergraduates participating in these programs during academic 2013-2014.As on any campus, scholarly research and creative work at LMU encompass an array of academic activities, the mix of which varies by disciplinary area. In the biological sciences, where understanding the natural world is the focus, undergraduates work in the laboratory and/or in the field, and generally conduct experiments or other data-gathering activities, followed by statistical analysis of results and the preparation of research results and conclusions for public presentation. In contrast, in engineering, where the primary goal is creation of "cost-effective solutions to practical problems by applying scientific knowledge to building things" (Shaw 1990), student work will often involve the development and prototyping of a solution, with the laboratory being used as a locale to gather experimental data needed for the validation and improvement of the solution, prior to communicating project outcomes to relevant stakeholders. Finally, in the social sciences, where understanding the human experience is the focus, students are likely to engage in a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods of data gathering, from conducting surveys to performing database searches, prior to the analysis of research findings and the formulation of potential societal implications/recommendations for dissemination.To support the extensive work underway across disciplines, LMU faculty members have been exploring a number of nontraditional mechanisms for gaining external support. Here we will explore how individuals cultivated partnerships with industry to support labs, leveraged interest in special events to raise funds, and engaged in contract work to provide students with practical experience.
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Creative Funding Strategies for Undergraduate Research at a Primarily Undergraduate Liberal Arts Institution
Cultivating Industry PartnersIn 2011, LMU renovated a fluid mechanics laboratory with support from federal funding and donors. The new James E. Foxworthy Fluid Dynamics Laboratory consists of 2,000 square feet devoted to experiments in fluid mechanics and hydraulics, and includes additional laboratories in materials science, thermodynamics, rapid prototyping, engineering design, hydrology, and a computer station for numeri...
