Staff Editorial: Research should become a priority

Despite the fact that most interaction between professors and students takes place during the short hours spent in the classroom, many teachers and students have enriched their academic experiences by collaborating in research and mentoring outside the classroom. However, too many students, and in many cases faculty, are missing out on the opportunity to overcome the formalities of commonplace academic interaction. Undergraduate participation in research should be strengthened, especially in the humanities and social sciences.

The primary role of Professors' is to impart knowledge in a classroom setting, and it is the students' responsibility to put forth as much effort as possible during lectures and discussion sections and on homework assignments. Yet, limiting interaction to the confines of a classroom can leave students with a one-dimensional educational experience. Many professors at Duke engage in independent research in their field of specialization or interest, and they should attempt to make undergraduates a part of those projects.

Foremost, participating in collaborative research projects will empower students intellectually and force them to incorporate classroom skills--which they have long been promised could one day be applied to 'real-world' projects--into their tasks. In addition, students can observe firsthand the manner in which the textbooks and articles that they read are created. By working hand-in-hand with their professors, students can engage in scholarship not necessarily for a grade, but for the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that accompanies active scholarship. Let's face it, professors aren't in it for the money, so there must be something appealing about research.

Both students and professors need to be proactive in finding one another. Students should not wait until senior year to approach a professor about aiding with a project, or enlisting mentorship for an independent study. Along the same lines, professors should identify students who appear to possess the desire and aptitude for research work, and invite them to help. Students who get to know faculty outside the classroom are more likely to immerse themselves in their coursework on the whole, and more willing to be intellectual risk-takers throughout their college careers. However, professors should refrain from assigning students too much secretarial/busy work, and eventually allow them to aid the projects in meaningful ways.