EARLY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AWARD

EREA program background: The early research experience awards (EREA, currently funded through the Singer and Lefkowitz endowments) have been an incredibly impactful in engaging students in research. These awards are an opportunity to explore the ongoing cutting-edge research underway in the CSD and Comm Studies departments, where the program is designed to support deep involvement in an existing laboratory during students’ first year at Northwestern. Students gain hands on experience learning what research is, and how it informs the fields they are interested in pursuing. Many students become integrally involved in data processing and analysis, some have direct clinical experiences with patients, and all engage with their faculty mentors to understand how their contributions have an impact on their broader fields of study. Another important element of the EREAs is the importance of introducing students to research culture early on, where placement in labs fosters comfort and confidence interacting with faculty, grad students, and postdocs, and encourages a sense of belonging in the research community. In our exit surveys, on conclusion of the awards, students typically voice tremendous gratitude for their experience (see donor’s report, attached, with sample student reports), offering testament to the impact of this program

New Summer Program: Many students also choose to continue in their labs as independent study students beyond this experience. Of note, a tremendous opportunity for additional investment would be to offer summer research support. Many students cannot afford to stay in Evanston over the summer without employment, limiting opportunities to continue often substantive projects begun throughout the year and to take advantage of the critical summer research period (summer is an extremely productive time for research labs, when classes aren’t in session, allowing students and faculty more time to devote to research). Providing summer funding for students to continue on in labs would also help us to foster development of undergraduate research student cohorts, where we might organize social and research events attended by fellow students, and faculty.