THE CENTER FOR ENGAGED LEARNING—PROMOTING STUDENT SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY
I am excited to share with you a letter from Dr. Jennifer Van Reet, Director of the Center for Engaged Learning (CEL) and Professor of Psychology. She writes with so much enthusiasm and passion for the scholarly and creative work of our students and highlights the role of the Center in positioning undergraduates to engage in successful research opportunities.
Click here to learn more about the Center for Engaged Learning.
Jackie
Dear PC Families,
I’m writing to you on my way back to Providence from the 5th Annual Big East Undergraduate Research Symposium which took place on March 14th. Nine PC students presented their original research alongside students from the ten other colleges and universities in the Big East. As usual, I was blown away by the high quality of students’ scholarship as well as their poise and professionalism. As a bonus to a wonderful morning, one of our students, biology and health policy and management major Etzer Lindor ‘26 won second place in the STEM category for his work, mentored by Dr. Brett Pellock, on the biogeochemistry of soil ecosystems.
Other PC students presented work on the effect of exercise on metabolic signaling, motor coordination, and social behavior in mice without the PTEN gene; a genomic analysis of two novel mycobacteriophages; examining and reimagining relationships between colleges and their surrounding communities; and neural circuits influencing motivated behaviors when survival needs are in conflict.
This list represents just a fraction of the impressive scholarly work happening at PC. While some may assume research happens only in the natural sciences, in truth, students in all disciplines can and do participate in scholarly and creative work. Conducting research is a powerful educational experience, allowing students to take ownership over their own learning and explore a topic in great depth. In addition, students are able to practice and acquire a number of professional skills that will serve them well in whatever post-graduate path they choose, like time management, resilience in the face of uncertainty, teamwork, data management, and how to communicate to a wide variety of audiences.
There are a variety of ways students can get involved in research. Many departments and programs build research experiences into their courses or curricula. Students can look for research assistant jobs through student employment. The Center for Engaged Learning runs academic year and summer grant programs that support student research projects. Lastly, I encourage students to think beyond internships for summer and to look for off-campus summer research experiences at other institutions, like universities or hospital systems.
With the Big East event finished, I can now turn my full attention to our next research showcase. Providence College’s 17th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship and Creativity will be held this year on April 22nd. It highlights all of the wonderful work PC students from all across the College have done over the course of the previous year. It is an invigorating experience to hear so many students speaking so passionately about their projects, whether it is creating a work of art, discovering something new in a historical archive, or developing a business plan. Materials from some of our Celebration events are archived in the Library’s Digital Commons – I invite you to explore these pages to get a small taste of the incredible work PC students are doing. I hope it brings you as much joy as it brings me.
Best,
Dr. Jennifer Van Reet
Director of the Center for Engaged Learning & Professor of Psychology
