The PIT Journal: Creating a Culture of Undergraduate Research at UNC (2012)
Undergraduate: Sydney Stegall
Faculty Advisor: Daniel Anderson
Department: English
In recent years, many college campuses have increased promotion and support of undergraduate research. These initiatives take many forms, including research-based courses, symposia (such as this one), and undergraduate involvement in laboratories. I will discuss an innovative opportunity for undergraduate research for students at any level and in any major at UNC. The People, Ideas, and Things (PIT) Journal uses an online peer review platform to mentor undergraduate research from project development to publication. Several first-year writing courses submit to the PIT Journal every spring, but any students at UNC is encouraged to submit. In many ways, The PIT Journal creates a flourishing culture of undergraduate research, as evidenced by our most recent conference at which around thirty students presented highly-developed research projects to the university community. And yet, as The PIT Journal evolves, more questions arise about mentorship, scalability, and the nature of scholarly research. My presentation will explore what have become The PIT Journal’s “best practices” for mentoring and facilitating undergraduate research, as well as open up these lingering questions for discussion.