Providing Structure for Research Students Coming and Going

A growing body of research has documented the positive outcomes of research experiences for undergraduates. Undergraduates have reported cognitive gains, such as increased confidence in their ability to do science and learning to “think and work like a scientist”; affective gains, such as finding research enjoyable and exciting; and behavioral outcomes, such as clearer intentions to pursue further education or careers in science (Junge et al., 2010; Harrison et al., 2011; Thiry et al., 2012). For more than 40 yr, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates or its precursor, Undergraduate Research Program (www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517& org=NSF), to engage cohorts of students in research. It is widely recognized that undergraduates who are awarded a Barry Goldwater Scholarship or an NSF Graduate Fellowship must have conducted research and they typically have published at least one paper (www.gvsu.edu/events/ goldwater-scholarship-nsf-graduate-resarch-fellowship -information-session/). In short, undergraduate research experiences have become the “farm league” for employers, graduate schools, and postundergraduate scholarships, such as NSF, Fulbright, and Rhodes. Thiry and colleagues (2012) describe how undergraduates who participate in extended research experiences realize