
There are multiple points of entry into research in Computer Science. All students are welcome to attend any of the regular reseach group meetings (often weekly or biweekly). These are listed on the events calendar on the department's webpage. Students can choose to attend groups working in natural language processing, machine learning, parallel and distributed systems, theory, robotics, knowledge representation, human computer interaction, etc.. These groups are comprised of faculty, research scientists, graduate students and undergraduates, often from more than one department, who are interested in a particular research area. Any undergraduate student is invited to attend, listen and determine if the group is in line with his/her interests. Freshmen often attend various groups before deciding where they would like to contribute.
Students can also speak directly to a faculty member about his/her research area and opportunities for undergraduates. By spending time reading faculty web pages and posters displayed throughout the department, undergraduates can learn about the many areas of research in the department. Often students form a group to work together on a project with one faculty member. Also, students showing exceptional aptitude in the classroom might be encouraged to enhance their studies by working one-on-one with a particular faculty member.
Though many students choose to use independent study research for elective course credit, there are opportunities for undergrads to be paid for the research work during either the school year or the summer. Faculty often have REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) funding to support undergraduate students working for them. Students can also apply for a summer REU at schools throughout the country. These typically include a stipend, a housing allotment and a small travel allowance.
Exceptional students can work towards research honors with a particular set of courses and a presentation of a thesis in their senior year. This involves two semesters of independent research with an advising committee of faculty.
The long-term benefits of working on research as an undergraduate become more obvious when a student applies to graduate school or begins to look for a job. Researchers learn not only problem solving techniques, but also how to collborate with a team. Interviewers are impressed with the personal initiative, the passion for a topic and the in-depth knowledged gained. Graduate schools are impressed when an undergrad has a published paper in a refereed journal resulting from original work done while an undergraduate. The relationship you have with a faculty member helps them to write exceptional letters of recommendation for you. Research makes you a stronger candidate for the next phase of your life.
In summary, research at URCS is an exciting part of the undergraduate experience of which nearly 50% of our students avail themselves during their undergraduate study. Students can choose to do it for course credit or pay, they can design the project or join a group already working on an existing project. Whether a student's long-term goal is to go to graduate school or into the work force, an experience with research as an undergraduate will prepare him or her quite well.
Recent research that has been published by our students while undergraduates include honors theses by David Lu '07, Frank Ferraro '11, and a technical report by Darcey Riley '12.