Five faculty members awarded Research-Intensive Course Grants for fall 2024

LAWRENCE — In an effort to provide research opportunities to more students, five faculty members will be working with the Center for Undergraduate Research this fall to redesign portions of their courses to include a larger research or creative component. Recipients of the Research-Intensive Course Grants participate in a workshop to learn best practices, share models and refine the focus of their classes. They also receive ongoing support from the Center for Undergraduate Research.

Research-Intensive Course Grants are offered by the Center for Undergraduate Research to provide accessible research opportunities for students on KU’s campus. The goal is to support faculty who are developing these types of courses, so more students can be exposed to the high-impact practice of undergraduate research. This fall’s recipients are from a variety of disciplines.

“Currently my students often have complex interests related to the topic of Jewish mysticism that they aren't necessarily able to operationalize and make into a research project,” said Bogi Perelmutter, assistant teaching professor of Slavic, German & Eurasian studies and Jewish studies. “Extending this assignment with support from the grant will help them act on these interests beyond the usual level of an undergraduate college course.”

Yoonjung Ahn, assistant professor of geography & atmospheric science, said, "In revising GEOG 316 to include a more comprehensive research and creative component, I plan to enhance the research methodologies taught through active learning strategies. Throughout the course, students will work collaboratively on research projects, developing presentations where they will share their findings. This aims not only to improve their research capabilities but also to enhance their presentation and dissemination skills.”

The Center for Undergraduate Research will open applications for Research-Intensive Course Grants for the spring 2025 semester in August 2024. Faculty and instructors who are interested in applying and have questions are encouraged to email Erin Wolfram.

Fall 2024 recipients include:

Bogi Perelmutter, Slavic, German & Eurasian studies and Jewish studies, JWSH 330/REL 329 – Mystical Tradition in Judaism

Elise Kirk, design (photography), PHTO 400/450 - Photo Media Seminar

Stephen Politzer-Ahles, linguistics, LING 420 – Capstone: Research in Language Science

Veera Sajjanapu, aerospace engineering, AE 445 – Aircraft Aerodynamics and Performance

Yoonjung Ahn, geography & atmospheric science, GEOG 316 – Methods of Analyzing Geographical Data.