Why faculty get excited about undergraduate research

Don Sakaguchi was charting a course to medical school as a biology undergraduate at the State University of New York, Albany, when he made a life-changing discovery. While studying insect sensory systems in a neurobiology lab, he realized it was the research -- not the medical path -- that truly inspired him.

"It opened my eyes to a totally different area of life sciences. To me, it's really important to share that experience with other students," he said.

Sakaguchi has shared that research experience with more than 220 undergraduate students over 35 years at Iowa State, where he is a Morrill Professor and director of the biology and genetics undergraduate programs.

Located in the Nanovaccine Institute, the Sakaguchi Lab focuses on developing experimental strategies for brain and retinal rescue and repair using stem cells. In a collaborative atmosphere, from 10 to 18 students, many of them undergraduates, work alongside Sakaguchi every semester in hands-on research projects.

Lab research experience is not required in the biology and genetics undergraduate programs, but Sakaguchi encourages students to participate so they can experience how scientific discoveries are made.

"It's one thing to sit in a lecture and take notes, but it's impossible to get an idea or gain an appreciation for where that knowledge came from. All that knowledge is produced as a result of fundamental research," Sakaguchi said.

Hands-on research also gives students the chance to get to know their professors and peers in a more collaborative setting outside the classroom. And the strongest, most informed letters of recommendation, Sakaguchi said, come from faculty who truly know their students.

Building a clearinghouse

Stephen Gilbert, professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, said faculty like Sakaguchi offer "an amazing range of opportunities" for their undergraduates.

"And we want the 100,000 flowers to grow. We're here to help coordinate and find where you can blossom," he said. 

Since August, Gilbert has served as the director of EUReCA ("Eureka"), Exploring Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, formerly the universitywide undergraduate research program. It's one of Iowa State's nine high-impact practices.

His task, albeit a big one, is to assemble a clearinghouse so the university has a reliable way to collect data about these mentored undergraduate experiences and assess impact: how many undergraduates, how many faculty, what type of experience, paid vs. academic credit, for example. He's inquiring with other universities to learn best practices for setting up a central unit. A clearinghouse also could help students cross college boundaries to connect with a faculty member whose interests match theirs.

Gilbert estimated one-fourth of undergraduates have completed a one-on-one, faculty-mentored experience in research or creativity outside of the classroom by graduation day. But that's based less on university data than his own 18 years of doing research with undergraduates. Because there are so many models for how it's done at Iowa State, it's difficult to quantify. The provost's team has made progress on counting research-related undergraduate courses and Workday has a tag to help count research assistants hired on an hourly basis.

In his new position, Gilbert also looks often to the national Council on Undergraduate Research, which defines research as:

A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.

The key points are that a student shows initiative to dive a little deeper on a topic outside of class and receives mentoring, he noted.

"Many students coming from high school expect college to be grades 13-16: You're told what to do, you jump through hoops and you're done," Gilbert said. "But our faculty are saying, 'We need your help, your initiative, your creative thinking.'

"At first, undergraduates are afraid of that because they don't think they have anything to contribute. But once they try it, it's like dopamine. They want more," he said.

Digging into data

For more than 20 years, Diane Janvrin, William L. Varner professor in accounting, has mentored students participating in the Honors Program's first-year research match. It pairs students with faculty based on research topics chosen by the faculty. 

This spring, Janvrin is working with accounting students Anna McCleary and Elizabeth Arens on a project she knew little about: the motivation behind cybersecurity criminals. 

McCleary said the project has taught her that research isn't just being in a lab or doing experiments. 

"Important research can also come from exploring past events or insightful data. Then we can put the pieces together and connect the information we've learned," she said. 

Arens said the fluidity in the research process surprised her. 

"We plan week by week, and decide our next path based on what we've found the week before," she said.

The benefits of research projects extend far beyond their student years, Janvrin said. Students learn how to find, evaluate and organize information in a world where nearly all data is digital. Students also gain exposure for their work through opportunities such as presenting at Research in the Capitol in Des Moines and the Undergraduate Research Symposium on campus, where they develop the "softer" skills Janvrin says matter just as much -- confidence, clarity and a stronger sense of belonging as they adjust to college life.

"It's remarkable to watch them grow," Janvrin said. "They begin as first-year students unsure of what research even looks like, and by the end of the semester they're teaching me."

Projects that began in a classroom

As Gilbert emphasized, not all undergraduate research happens in a laboratory. Fostering students' ideas and curiosity in rhetoric and writing studies is an organic process that's built into every project Abby Dubisar assigns. 

In addition to teaching students how to write effectively to connect with their audience, Dubisar encourages students to expand classroom assignments into research projects with the goal of publishing in a journal or presenting at a conference. 

"Teaching in the classroom, I see students with such incredible ideas that they could share with a wider audience," said Dubisar, an associate professor in English. "My work in undergraduate research makes sure the project starts with the student. My role as a faculty member is of service in fostering their research."

Students in Dubisar's classes come from a variety of majors and not all see themselves as writers, let alone student researchers, so writing about their experiences or interests helps students discover their own potential. A project may start with an assignment for a public service announcement, a consulting proposal, a remix video or a persuasive essay. 

Dubisar often serves as a mentor and also co-authors articles with students who express interest. She wrote about her experiences in a chapter for the 2025 book "Coauthoring With Undergraduates in Writing Studies," stressing the importance of maintaining student ownership in the project. 

"I have a responsibility to not only show students how rhetoric works in the world, but to give them opportunities to express their ideas, refine them for an audience," Dubisar said. "It's rewarding to watch students dig more deeply -- and a privilege to cheer them on and support them outside the classroom."

Many topics will develop the same skill set

Brian Hornbuckle, agronomy professor and director of graduate education for agricultural meteorology, sees mentoring as part of the university's core mission to give students the chance to explore, experiment and figure out whether research or a certain field is right for them. 

"I think it's critical that we provide them with that opportunity to find out if this is something they're passionate about," he said.

Known for his research on NASA‑related projects, Hornbuckle has taken on a first‑year Honors Program mentee nearly every year of his 23 years at Iowa State -- and sometimes with projects outside his usual box. This spring, one of his student mentees is helping him determine whether students in his basic agronomy class are actually learning the skills taught in the class by comparing pre-test and final exam answers. 

Hornbuckle said it's a bonus when a student researcher stays on for a summer job or contributes to publishable work. Regardless, he said the goal is to keep the focus on the student's success. 

"Instead of just taking the time to do it ourselves, we use that time to get something done while also teaching students research skills," he said.