Sponsored by the Museum Research Trainee Program (MRT), the Undergraduate Research, Arts & Design Network, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Research Exploration Connection (REC) provides UNM undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in brief research projects led by Master’s and Doctoral students.  REC projects are available in multiple academic disciplines, and prioritize interdisciplinary research, collaboration and inclusive training and mentoring.  REC projects are offered each semester (fall and spring). REC projects are designed to introduce undergraduates to various research methods and approaches, and to provide potential pathways for undergraduate and graduate students to further partner on the research. Graduate students are encouraged to propose research projects that align with their own master’s or doctoral research.

Graduate students who lead REC projects first participate in a brief training program, where they learn foundational training, education and mentoring skills, and further refine their research project.  Graduate students receive between $800 and $3300 for participating in REC, with the actual amount depending on the time commitment involved in creating and leading their project.

UNM Undergraduate students who participate in REC should expect to spend between 6 to 24 hours on their project and receive between $90 and $360 for participating, with the actual amount depending on the time commitment involved in participating on the project.

To submit your Graduate Student Proposal, complete the Call for Proposals (CFP) form here.  On this CFP form, you will:

• Provide a brief description of your research.
• List the academic discipline(s) that are engaged in or relevant to your research.
• Provide contact information for your faculty mentor,
• Describe how you intend to engage undergraduate students in your research, for the duration of the proposed project.
• Describe any pre-requisite knowledge that undergraduate students should bring to your project, or any academic discipline requirements for participation. REC is especially interested in funding projects that have require no or minimal pre-requisite knowledge.
• Describe any products that undergraduate students will produce on your project (i.e., reflective papers, essays, summaries, videos, podcasts, datasets, etc).
• Describe the time scale for your project, including a proposed starting date and ending date, the number of hours undergraduate students should expect to spend on the project, and any set dates/times when undergraduates would be required to participate.
• Provide a range for the number of undergraduate students who can engage on the project

Graduate students must have permission from their faculty advisor and/or research mentor before participating in REC.

After the CFP deadline, REC leaders will select which projects will be funded for the following academic year, and will begin recruiting undergraduate students to participate.

If you would like help thinking through your proposal idea, please contact Tim Schroeder, Director of UNM URAD, to schedule a zoom consultation.

REC Graduate Students will participate in a summer training program to help prepare them to educate and mentor undergraduate students.  Summer training sessions will be virtual, with no sessions face-to-face.  Zoom-based training sessions will be scheduled around graduate student availability.