What is Undergraduate Research?

At Carolina, we define undergraduate research as mentored, self-directed work that enables individual students or small groups of students to explore an issue of interest to them, and communicate the results to others. The projects involve inquiry, design, investigation, research, scholarship, discovery, application, writing and/or performance to a greater or lesser degree depending on the topic. There is often an immediate connection to a local, national, or international issue, and an increasing appreciation of the value of multidisciplinary approaches.

HHMI-UNCCH Learning Communities

OUR directs three programs that are supported in part by a grant to UNC-Chapel Hill from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Precollege and Undergraduate Science Education Program. As described in the Learning Communities Executive Summary, these programs are designed to ensure that bright students from all walks of life can participate in Carolina’s vibrant research culture and can then go on to become leading scientists, clinicians, teachers, and citizens.