Undergraduate Research Impact

Undergraduate student researchers who actively participate in research on campus as a part of mentored research program under the guidance of a principal investigator (PI) should note that research laboratories are open at the discretion of (PIs). Thus, please consult your PI to discuss the level (if any) of your participation in on-campus or on-site research actively.

Although we understand and recognize that research may presently not be your top priority, it still is one of the most important tools that will help you stay on track toward achieving your goals and will help advance your career readiness. During these challenging times, please shift your focus to alternative activities and consider some of the following ideas to navigate potential challenges:

  • Reach out to your faculty mentor and others who can facilitate your research participation and establish and maintain continued communication
  • Reach out to UNLV’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) if you have a connectivity gap (i.e., lack of digital infrastructure and/or devices)
  • Be realistic about what is achievable given the extraordinary circumstances
  • In order for you to be funded for a virtualized research project, identify some potential roles you can play and tasks you can be able to perform remotely for your mentor/research group/project/laboratory:
    • Data entering, recording, and analysis remotely
    • Literature search or review remotely
    • Curation and management of online databases/libraries for faculty, research groups, or laboratories remotely
    • Documentation

  • Taking the challenge as an opportunity to focus on capacity building and skill development, you can also focus on:

    • Professional development and career preparation training webinars
    • Academic reading and writing in general, literature review, abstract writing, research annotation, and manuscript preparation in particular
    • Quantitative reasoning
    • Data literacy and management
    • Data analysis and visualization
    • Research communication and presentation

Please refer to OUR’s Fall 2021 Research Skills Academy Program for available webinars. Please also consider scheduling a virtual research advising session to learn more about undergraduate research education, resources, and opportunities at UNLV.