Building Career Pathways: Strengthening Workforce Development in Nevada by Integrating Undergraduate Research Experiences into the University-Level STEM Curriculum

This project aims to serve the national interest in building the science and technology workforce of the future by providing undergraduate students with hands-on research experiences. Undergraduate research experience is essential for preparing students for tomorrow’s economy, particularly in critical areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and quantum information science and technology, which require practical skills, problem solving, and the ability to work with real-world data. Undergraduate research is a well-respected, high-impact practice that enhances learning, skill development, and career readiness while promoting the progress of science and driving economic growth and national security. To that end, this ICT Capacity-Building project will investigate the current landscape of undergraduate research capacity at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and use those findings to formalize plans to develop innovative STEM curricular pathways that integrate research experiences and graduate highly-competitive students ready to contribute to the evolving workforce. To achieve these goals, the project plans to systematically evaluate the undergraduate research landscape at UNR through institutional research, anonymous surveys, focus groups, and structured interviews. The scope includes identifying institutional strengths, challenges, and readiness indicators to guide integration of undergraduate research into STEM curricula. The project will apply the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) “research-rich” curriculum model and build on findings from the CUR Transformations Project, advancing understanding of how such models can be adapted in a land-grant EPSCoR context. The project aims to adapt and validate a transferable framework for assessing and expanding undergraduate research capacity, with dissemination through conferences and publications focused on undergraduate research, STEM education, and workforce development. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Institutional and Community Transformation track, the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.