Professor Elise Kikis and Student Researchers Selected for Scholars Transforming through Research Program
November 4, 2024
The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) has announced that a research team from Sewanee has been selected for the council’s Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) program. One of just 63 teams chosen from across the country, Sewanee’s delegation is led by Professor and Chair of Biology Elise Kikis, and includes students Laine Prince, C’27; Hannah Talbott, C’25; and Ellen Woodward, C’25.
A nationally competitive opportunity, the STR program aims to help participants leverage the impact of their undergraduate research experience by conveying their stories to stakeholder groups such as funding agencies, elected officials, future employers, and more. Over the next five months, Kikis and the selected students will participate in training sessions to learn about op-ed writing, policy brief writing, and relationship-building with policymakers. The experience will culminate in a trip to Washington, D.C., for in-person visits with stakeholders and elected government leadership.
As the co-director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, Kikis expects that the advocacy skills honed through the STR program will ultimately support her efforts to raise awareness of and secure funding for undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative work at the University. She also sees its potential to equip the participating students with valuable knowledge as they look to the future.
“They will all be interviewing for graduate school, medical school, or their first jobs out of college,” says Kikis. “The STR experience will give them the skills to effectively convey all the ways that undergraduate research has made them better prepared for the roles they seek, and prepare them to engage in advocacy work in their personal and professional lives.”
The transformative impact of involvement in research is something that the selected students have experienced firsthand. The training they receive at the STR program will, they hope, help them to advocate for expanded opportunities for their peers to benefit in the ways that they did. Says Talbott, “By conducting experiments and presenting my results, I have developed organizational skills and confidence with public speaking. Moreover, I developed the ability to ask big questions and the skills to answer them.”
Founded in 1978, CUR focuses on providing high-quality and collaborative undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activity. It provides a platform for discussion and other resources related to mentoring, connecting, and creating relationships centered around undergraduate research.
