Undergraduate Research
& Creative Activities

The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) defines undergraduate research as “a mentored investigation or creative activity conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.” Mercer University maintains enhanced institutional membership with CUR, so all members of the Mercer community have access to CUR’s resources, including free individual membership access.

Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) includes scholarly, creative, and artistic activities that

  • lead to new knowledge,
  • improve problem solving capabilities,
  • offer original or historical theory and interpretation, or
  • produce art or creative performances.1

As undergraduates, students do this work under the direction of a faculty mentor. At Mercer, URCA tends to fall into three categories:

  • Course-based:  students conduct research and/or creative activities as part of a course
  • Faculty-led:  a student serves as an assistant on a professor’s project and is supervised by the professor
  • Student-led:  a student works on a project of personal interest under the direction of a professor

Getting Started with URCA

Undergraduate research at Mercer is coordinated by the Director of Undergraduate Research, Dr. Kevin Bucholtz. For more information, contact Dr. Bucholtz directly at bucholtz_km@mercer.edu.

1 Michigan State University