Students no longer have to wait until graduate school to engage in inquiry-based research endeavors guided by faculty. For almost a decade now, first-year and second-year UGA undergraduates have been involved in these activities as participants in the Apprentice Program sponsored by the Honors Program’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities.
Through these faculty-mentored research partnerships, 30 CURO apprentices currently work 10-12 hours a week on projects in disciplines ranging from infectious diseases and kinesiology to music and international affairs. Their environments range from the lab to the library to the field.
First-year student JoyEllen Freeman is working under the guidance of English professor Barbara McCaskill, who is involved in various projects for UGA’s Civil Rights Digital Library, an online educational initiative that includes digital photos, videos and related material on the civil rights movement.
Freeman is researching and writing content for an educational Web site that focuses on the civil rights movement in Georgia.
“I have become a better analyzer, reader and writer since I have begun the apprenticeship because I have received ample advice from accomplished researchers,” said Freeman, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English.
“Working with students like JoyEllen Freeman in the CURO program has provided a rewarding opportunity for professors like me to conduct graduate-level research with academically talented undergraduates,” said McCaskill. “They have made a significant contribution to the Civil Rights Digital Library by interviewing former activists, talking about the movement to community groups and bringing the history and literature of the movement in Georgia to a broad audience.”
The Apprentice Program also provides support and outreach through weekly seminars and peer advising.
In addition, the apprentices receive advice and guidance from three teaching assistants, all former CURO apprentices, who facilitate small-group discussions and share their own research experiences.
