Undergraduate Research Week

Undergraduate Research Week is a national celebration of undergraduate research and creative activity that highlights the outstanding scholarship taking place on campuses across the United States. The Undergraduate Research Center is pleased to showcase and commemorate the many talents of our students and faculty mentors at Middle Tennessee State University through a weeklong series of events. We hope you check out our online resources and events to learn more about undergraduate research taking place on campus!

2nd Annual URECA Distinguished Lecture & Luncheon
Featuring Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show

Tuesday, April 20, 2021
11-12 PM, KUC Theatre
Did you miss this event? Watch Ketch Secor's dynamic lecture here.
Watch Now!

The URC is excited to welcome Ketch Secor to MTSU as the distinguished lecturer for our 2nd Annual URECA luncheon.

For the last twenty years, multi-instrumentalist Ketch Secor has been frontman and fiddler for Old Crow Medicine Show, best known for the hit song “Wagon Wheel.”

Old Crow Medicine Show became members of the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. That same year, they received the Trailblazer Award from the Americana Music Association and, two years later, won the 2015 GRAMMY Award for Best Folk Album with their LP, Remedy.

Known for his interest in Appalachian history and musicology, Ketch recently wrote a children’s book, Lorraine – his retelling of a Southern folktale, interwoven with the power of music.

Sponsored by MTSU's Distinguished Lecture Fund
and the Student Organization for the Advancement of Research

Undergraduate Research Week 2020

Scholars Week 2020 Online Research & Creative Activity Exposition

Monday, April 20, 2020

Scholars Week is a weeklong tradition during which MTSU's academic colleges celebrate scholarship, research and creative activity through a variety of events and activities. While the on-campus events had to be canceled due to COVID-19, we are excited to announce that the Poster and Creative Activity Exposition has been moved online! Learn more about Scholars Week and our featured students.

View our students' posters and creative submissions.

Recognition of the 2019-2020 URECA Recipients

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Did you know that you can get paid to do research while gaining valuable experience in a high impact practice? The URC administers University funds to directly support mentored undergraduate research through Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) grants. Awards range from $500 for beginners to $3,500 for experienced researchers.

URECA awards are highly competitive. The application process helps students develop the skills needed to write a competitive research proposal alongside a faculty mentor. Upon receipt of an award, the student works their mentor to successfully complete a project and disseminate the results. We would like to recognize our URECA recipients and their projects.

A huge SHOUT OUT to our amazing faculty mentors!

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

According to the Council on Undergraduate Research, one of the key characteristics of excellence in undergraduate research is faculty commitment. The success of the Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA) grant program is dependent upon our faculty mentors who are highly committed to providing students with a hands-on research experience that includes instruction, guidance and direct modeling. They support student learning in a manner that allows students to develop greater responsibility for his or her own work, develop and demonstrate valuable teamwork skills, and gain experience in critical inquiry.

Check out some of our featured faculty mentors to discover thier research passion and projects they have worked on with undergraduate students.

National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2020 – Student Presenters

Thursday, April 23, 2020

While NCUR 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we would like to feature our undergraduate researchers who were selected to present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Bozeman, Montana. These students represent an elite group of researchers who go above and beyond the call of duty academically and we are so proud to have them as SOAR members. Check out their posters and the cool research they are conducting in a variety of disciplines.

Winning National Fellowships: MTSU Student Success Series

Friday, April 24, 2020

Please join us on Friday, April 24, 2020 for a conversation with two recent recipients of prestigious national fellowships: Samuel Remedios, 2020 NSF GRFP Fellow and Jared Frazier, 2020 Goldwater Fellow. Register online to receive a Zoom meeting invite.

URECA logo