Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q)’s undergraduates are set to benefit from significantly increased opportunities for independent research, thanks to a new agreement with the Office of Undergraduate Research at Northwestern’s home campus in Evanston, Illinois.
The Office of Undergraduate Research provides support and advice for undergraduates as they put classwork and academic theory into practice through independent research projects. NU-Q students will now be encouraged to apply to all programs supported by the office in Evanston for which they are eligible—among them grants to learn a foreign language and to attend a scholarly conference. In the application process, they will have access to resources on the Evanston campus including the opportunity to discuss their ideas, develop projects, and review proposal drafts with Evanston faculty members through online resources, information sessions, and direct access to a personal advisor.
NU-Q already places strong emphasis on developing undergraduates’ research skills,” said Dr. Everette E. Dennis, Dean and CEO of NU-Q. “This agreement will significantly enhance their learning experience, and help prepare our students for research-oriented careers after graduation by providing them with additional resources from the home campus.”
This strategic agreement allows NU-Q students to build on resources already offered by the NU-Q Research Office that in the 2014-15 academic year led to 27 students working on grant-funded projects and 18 students traveling on research trips.
As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, an NU-Q faculty member will join the Evanston office’s Undergraduate Research Grant Review Committee, and NU-Q will provide the resources - up to $20,000 annually – to support successful proposals by NU-Q undergraduates.
The agreement followed a visit by the director of Northwestern’s Office of Undergraduate Research, Dr. Peter Civetta, to NU-Q to meet with faculty and students to discuss additional avenues of collaboration.
“We are delighted that, through the home campus, NU-Q students will now have the opportunity to engage with academic resources on the Evanston campus,” said Civetta. “There is clearly a dynamic emerging research culture in Qatar, and we look forward to working with our colleagues at NU-Q in enhancing the research projects of our undergraduate students in Doha.”
