Developing The Next Generation of Water Researchers: Freshwater@UW Summer Research Opportunities Program

The Freshwater@UW Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) strives to support the next generation of diverse and multidisciplinary water scientists by providing mentored research experiences for undergraduates across the 13 Universities of Wisconsin. Understanding the use and protection of water almost insists one integrate knowledge from multiple disciplines, and water research can benefit substantially from the work of creative, diverse, and interdisciplinary research teams.  Now in the start of its third year, 67 undergraduate scholars from 13 states have participated in the program. In 2023, 85% of participants agreed the Freshwater@UW experience increased their interest in conducting research in the future. Encouragingly, students also indicated a significant increase in their development as a researcher.   Weekly professional development workshops facilitated by the UW community cover topics such as applying to graduate school, navigating hidden curriculum, developing presentation skills, and applying for private and public sector jobs. The Freshwater@UW SROP strives to build cohesive cohorts to provide peer-to-peer mentoring and support while participants learn to navigate a research environment. This talk will outline the program’s design and collaborative administration, highlight program benefits reported by past scholars, and discuss future development opportunities.

Primary Presenter: Alison Mikulyuk, University of Wisconsin - Madison (alison.mikulyuk@aqua.wisc.edu)

Authors:

Eric Kastelic, University of Wisconsin-Madison  (ekastelic@wisc.edu)