The Council on Undergraduate Research is the North American membership association for those who wish to promote research by undergraduate students and their faculty mentors in all settings of science, mathematics, and engineering education. We believe that education is best served by faculty-student collaborative research combined with investigative teaching strategies.

CUR’s main focus is on extra-curricular research experiences, especially undergraduate participation in on- and off-campus research with faculty mentors at primarily undergraduate institutions. Community-based research, in which colleges form partnerships with community groups or businesses, is an environment in which many undergraduates thrive. Students form a natural bridge between the formal university or college and non-scientists. When trained properly in data gathering, students can establish data sets that are augmented year after year. I will describe model programs in some other fields that may fertilize ideas in geology.

I will also review ways that CUR members have partnered with K-12 teachers and classrooms, again sharing examples that geoscientists can adapt from other disciplines (e.g., Juniata College’s “Science in Motion” Program in chemistry and CUR’s own Research Links program in biology). I will review questions concerning data pooling from different student and community research activities.

CUR promotes federal, state, and campus-based programs that provide research-based educational opportunities. To accomplish our mission, we are democratically organized into committees and action groups supported by a small national staff in Washington, D.C. CUR’s programs can help geoscientists to establish undergraduate research programs that partner with K-12 and the community. I extend an invitation for all to participate in CUR workshops, conferences, on-campus consulting, the CUR Quarterly (a scholarly and informative journal), “How to” booklets, and advocacy at the national level. CUR can provide support and resources for those who are starting or improving their campus undergraduate research programs, as well as help for individual professors and administrators.