Rural Undergraduates in STEM Research!
What is the Rural Scholars Program?
Undergraduates from rural communities constitute an underrepresented group in undergraduate research. The Rural Scholars program, initiated by Professor Scott Shaw at the University of Iowa, aims to give students from these communities knowledge and confidence in what it means to pursue research, inspiring them to take active roles in research throughout their undergraduate education.
Traditionally, students in the program enroll for one-semester hour of research in the Fall Semester and meet weekly with a researcher and their group to discuss what it means to pursue scientific research, resources available on campus, scientific topics of public interest, science communication, and how varied backgrounds are important to the modern pursuit of scientific discovery. Rural Scholars then undertake research projects during the Spring semester, with the goal of delivering first-hand accounts of their research experiences and their successes as a university student to their hometown, rural communities, or research presentations at conferences.
Work with the Risko group at UK, combining computer science and chemistry to understand materials!
Work with the Shaw group at Iowa, researching analytical surface science!
Your participation in the program would include:
1) registering for one credit hour of research,
2) participating in visits to your advising professor's research group,
3) exposure to genuine scientific research,
4) individual and group discussions on scientific topics of public interest (i.e. climate change, wind energy, vaccines, GMOs, etc.), and
5) an opportunity to share your experience with your hometown.
Yes, students in the program each enroll for one semester hour of research.
Many former participants in this program have used the Rural Scholars Research experience as a platform to start research projects of their own or collaborative projects with peers or graduate students. Others have enjoyed the additional outreach opportunities the program offers, and several have applied the time spent doing research towards advancing their progress in Iowa's honors program.
If you choose to continue the program in the spring semester, you would be supported to return to your hometown in order to share your experiences with your former high school classmates, friends, and family.
Students eligible for the Rural Scholars program must be from a rural community and should have little to no prior research experience. They should be interested in a STEM field.
Applications are closed for the 2021-2022 school year. But applications for the 2022-2023 school year will open in August 2022.
NSF Cooperative Agreement Number: 2019574
