Second Undergraduate Research Fair Encourages Student Scholarship

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) recently held the second annual Undergraduate Research Fair, which provided interested students a wealth of information on the research opportunities and resources available at GU-Q.

At the fair, which was held in the Atrium, faculty, staff, and students were on hand to answer questions about research opportunities, funding, mentorship, resources, and training. With research options that include Honors in the Major, Certificates, the Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP), research papers assigned in class, and the Annual Undergraduate Research Conference (AURC), students have ample opportunity to gain the critical personal and professional development skills that research projects provide.

“A meaningful undergraduate research experience offers students the chance to learn new thinking, writing, and research skills and gain confidence in their own abilities as emerging scholars,” said Dr. Kai-Henrik Barth, Senior Assistant Dean for Research Support at GU-Q. “It also inspires personal ambition and prepares students for future careers in graduate school, or in the working world no matter which field their career paths take them,” he added.

“Research has always been a major pillar of the BSFS degree and undergraduate student experience at Georgetown, and through the Fair, we inform and encourage every student to take advantage of the vast resources they have access to for a high-impact educational experience that really has no equal,” said Carina Lawson, Associate Director of Academic Operations.

At the fair, students were also provided with information on preparing and submitting applications for UREP research funding, a new cycle of which is launching soon. The program, which is offered through the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)  aims to develop a research infrastructure in Qatar by establishing a strong research culture at undergraduate institutions.GU-Q Students and their faculty mentors received a total of over 115,000 QAR for project funding in the previous cycle.