THE LIBERAL ARTS AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH: HOW RIPPLES FROM ONE PEBBLE IN A SMALL POND CREATED A LEGACY

Themed sessions at scientific meetings often focus on the legacy of scientists working at major research universities. This session on sedimentary basins, geared to honor the legacy of Dr. Robert K. Schwartz, illustrates how a committed teacher-scholar at a liberal arts college can have an enormous professional impact. Clearly, such a legacy relies on strong technical and research skills of the faculty leader. Engaging undergraduate students early and actively in systematic research, now recognized broadly as an important high impact practice in undergraduate education, is also another characteristic. This process involves careful teaching, patience, and encouragement on behalf of the mentor. Developing trust allows the opportunity for independence of the students, while recognizing when to provide the hands-on mentoring to foster confidence to promote professional growth. Another key to the success of this legacy is the higher level of expectation and engagement of the faculty mentor with research students which imparts a contagious enthusiasm for the research quest. This enthusiasm is also infused into the classroom where use of research data and techniques allow students who aren’t specifically involved in the research to connect and apply their learning. These practices have shaped the success of decades of students, who in turn have spread these practices to others throughout their own careers. Research success in the geosciences at a small undergraduate institution would not be possible without a sustainable network of institutional support. However, more critical is the commitment to provide extensive field experience, sustained teaching & mentoring, and the deep conviction in the value of creating a culture and community focused on undergraduate research.