Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry

Mission

Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry (URCI) seeks to provide guidance and opportunities for undergraduate students to pursue advanced scholarly work in all fields of study. Aligned with TU’s core characteristic of “academic excellence,” URCI promotes research and scholarly inquiry as these foster the individualization of students’ academic exploration and intellectual growth.

Definition

Undergraduate research is defined as an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate that makes or contributes to an original intellectual or creative discovery to the discipline. URCI, a unit within the Office of the Provost, oversees university-level programs that provide opportunities for students to engage in research with a TU faculty mentor. These close collaborations between faculty and students provide a forum for faculty to teach and mentor undergraduates on a one-on-one basis outside the classroom.  

2018 Research Impact Award Recipients

The Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Committee is pleased to announce the 2018 recipients of the inaugural Research Impact Award. Every college was represented in the highly-competitive applicant pool, and the following projects were selected because of the impact of the research on an significant disciplinary topic and the impact of the student's work on the university's scholarly community. 

college of business & economics

• Lauren Cahalan '18 - Project Title: Violence and Women's Employment in Afghanistan. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Seth Gitter (Department of Economics). Ms. Cahalan is also a member of the College of Liberal Arts and the Honors College.

college of fine arts & communication

• Molly Cohen '18 - Project Title: What Were You Wearing? Faculty Mentor: Dr. Julie Potter (Department of Theatre Arts).
• Andie Verbus '19 - Project Title: Impulse Responses in Towson University's Recital Hall and Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall. Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Kleinsasser (Department of Music).

college of liberal arts

• Tim Bynion '18 - Project Title: The Afghanistan War and America's National Identity. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul McCartney (Department of Political Science). Mr. Bynion is also a member of the Honors College.
• Nicole Libbey '18 - Project Title: Understanding the Impact of the Towson University Food Insecurity Support Fund. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andrea Brace (Department of Health Science, College of Health Professions).
• Victoria Wolsh '18 - Project Title: The Effect of Age on Dissociative Disorder Treatment Intervention Outcomes. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bethany Brand (Department of Psychology).

fisher college of science & mathematics

• Soumia Bekka '18 - Project Title: Three-Dimensional Analysis of Combination Drug Therapy for Herpes Simplex Virus 1. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Barry Margulies (Department of Biological Sciences). Ms. Bekka is also a member of the Honors College.
• Christopher Bower '18 - Project Title: Stream Restoration Monitoring. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joel Moore (Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences).
• Rachel Lent '18 - Project Title: Investigating PcpA as a choline binding protein on Streptococcus pneumoniae that may be degraded by neutrophil serine proteases. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Mara Shainheit (Department of Biological Sciences). Ms. Lent is also a member of the Honors College.
• Chloe Lissauer '19 - Project Title: Developing Long-Acting Implants for Breast Cancer Prevention. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Barry Margulies (Department of Biological Sciences). Ms. Lissauer is also a member of the Honors College.