Undergraduate Research Assistant Leadership for Rigorous, High Quality Research.

Undergraduate research is an important experiential learning opportunity. Abundant previous work has outlined the benefits of research experiences for undergraduates (e.g., Landrum and Nelsen, 2002; Lopatto, 2004, 2007; although also see Linn et al., 2015). These indude refinement of critical thinking skills and clarification of career goals (Seymour et al., 2004; Russell et al., 2007) as well as enhanced motivation to complete academic programs (Graham et al., 2013). Such benefits are found throughout science, engineering, and mathematics (Rodenbusch et al., 2016), particularly in underrepresented groups (Nagda et al., 1988; but see also Lopatto, 2004). The benefits to students seem clear, but what about the benefits to science? Can undergraduate research projects lead to data that is rigorous and worthy of publication? As a teaching stream faculty member at a research-intensive university, my lab consists solely of undergraduate research assistants. Allowing my students to take a leadership role over their projects, particularly projects involving controversial or sensitive topics, has proven to be an effective method, albeit a time intensive one, for generating high quality data.