Research, Teaching, and Professional Development at a Comprehensive University

The interrelationships between teaching, research, and professional development at comprehensive undergraduate institutions continue to be a focus of the National Science Foundation, university administrators, and chemistry faculty. The role that research plays in chemistry undergraduates' education is becoming more important as requirements for tenure and promotion for faculty at these institutions become more stringent. The Council on Undergraduate Research has defined undergraduate research as "an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline". These research efforts are assumed to result in peer-reviewed publications. It is suggested that this definition and the anticipated publications can exclude a significant number of undergraduate research investigations at many comprehensive institutions, and that exclusion, in turn, can affect peer evaluations of faculty professional development. To illustrate this type of research investigation, a project is briefly outlined that spans more than 16 years of active student research that has yet to result in a peer-reviewed publication. However, this project has provided each student researcher with a solid foundation to become an independent researcher and has also provided an avenue for faculty development.