{"id":13567,"date":"2026-05-05T09:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T14:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13567"},"modified":"2026-05-05T09:52:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T14:52:14","slug":"the-roots-of-undergraduate-research-how-a-campus-idea-grew-and-became-a-25-year-universities-of-wisconsin-tradition","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/the-roots-of-undergraduate-research-how-a-campus-idea-grew-and-became-a-25-year-universities-of-wisconsin-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"The roots of undergraduate research: How a campus idea grew and became a 25-year Universities of Wisconsin tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Chemistry Professor Aaron Monte with students in the research lab in the late 1990s. Monte was part of the wave of new faculty on campus in the 1990s that believed in the value of undergraduate research.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It started, as many good ideas do, with a fresh perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the mid-1990s, a new generation of faculty arrived at UW\u2013La Crosse. They were energetic, innovative and not especially interested in teaching the way it had always been done \u2014 a lecture hall, a piece of chalk and rows of students watching.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They shared the belief students learn best by doing.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And undergraduate research, they knew, was one of the best ways to make that happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From left, Jackie Wisinski, a UWL graduating senior, and Biology Professor Scott Cooper ca. 2004. Wisinski was a former undergraduate research student working with Cooper. She joined UWL\u2019s faculty as an associate professor of biology in 2017.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When Scott Cooper and Aaron Monte joined UWL in 1995, undergraduate research was already happening across campus \u2014 but in pockets. It wasn\u2019t yet coordinated, widely visible or fully embedded in the student experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They saw the potential for something more: a campus where research wasn\u2019t the exception, but the expectation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooper began imagining what that idea could look like beyond a single campus. He proposed an \u201cOlympics of undergraduate research\u201d \u2014 a statewide event where students from across the Universities of Wisconsin could present their work, connect with peers and see themselves as part of a larger academic community. Modeled after the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, the goal was to create something that provided the same type of experience for students, but was accessible and affordable for more to attend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event would rotate from campus to campus, strengthening connections across the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea quickly took shape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1999, UWL hosted the first Universities of Wisconsin Symposium for Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity, featuring 58 posters and 57 oral presentations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 25 years later, the symposium has become a statewide tradition, traveling from campus to campus and drawing hundreds of student presenters each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, it returned to La Crosse \u2014 its original home \u2014\u00a0on May 1 at the UWL Student Union, with 325 students presenting from all 13 Universities of Wisconsin campuses.<\/a>\u00a0Over the years, the Universities of Wisconsin continues to be supportive of the tradition \u00a0\u2014 helping to offset cost to keep it affordable for campuses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that it is still going strong \u2014 and has now made a full lap around the state and started a second \u2014 says a lot,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cIt\u2019s always been a grassroots effort. There\u2019s no single person in charge, which shows how much people value it and want to keep it going.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a research culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Gubbi Sudhakaran, front row, far left, pictured with undergraduate research students in the laser lab in 1999. Sudhakaran set up the university\u2019s first experimental research lab in the Physics Department for students to engage directly in physics research.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While the symposium would eventually connect campuses statewide, its roots were firmly planted in changes already happening at UWL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Cooper and Monte arrived, they were part of a broader shift in higher education \u2014 one that recognized undergraduate research as a powerful tool for learning. For them, research wasn\u2019t just about building lab skills. It was about learning how to think: asking questions, solving problems and working through uncertainty without a clear textbook answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It mirrored how they themselves had been trained \u2014 as apprentices, learning by doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up with an apprentice model,\u201d Monte says. \u201cStudents learn from mentors and then begin designing their own experiments. You have to learn before you can create something new.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They weren\u2019t alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across campus, faculty were already creating hands-on opportunities for students. In physics, Professor Gubbi Sudhakaran set up the university\u2019s first experimental research lab in the Physics Department \u2014 a far-infrared laser spectroscopy system \u2014 for students to engage directly in physics research. The department went a step further, embedding research into the curriculum so students could earn course credit rather than squeezing it in on top of already full schedules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The impact was evident. During the 1990s, the physics program grew from just five majors to around 100 \u2014 fueled in part by the appeal of undergraduate research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUndergraduate research was a great recruiting tool,\u201d Sudhakaran says. \u201cParents would visit, and I\u2019d show them the lab and say, \u2018Your son or daughter will be working here.\u2019 That made a big difference.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These local efforts reflected a growing national movement. Since the early 1980s, organizations like the Council on Undergraduate Research<\/a> had been advocating for student involvement in research. At UWL, interest built steadily through the 1980s before accelerating in the 1990s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy the mid-\u201990s, the impact of undergraduate research was really becoming clear,\u201d says Ron Rada, former interim provost and faculty member. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that momentum came structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often described as the glue that held early undergraduate research efforts together, former Grants and Contracts Officer Bill Gresens helped bring structure to what had previously been informal. Around 1996, working with then-provost Leo Lambert, he helped establish a university-wide Undergraduate Research Committee made up of faculty committed to supporting student research. Their work created a more formal process for awarding grants and, importantly, signaled institutional support for undergraduate research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, similar ideas were emerging from faculty across campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monte, for example, was focused on finding ways to fund student research so undergraduates wouldn\u2019t have to rely on unrelated summer jobs. Faculty were also feeling the strain of reviewing a growing number of undergraduate research proposals and saw the need for more dedicated oversight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1996, the Faculty Senate Research and Grants Committee began reviewing undergraduate proposals alongside faculty projects. By 1998, a separate Undergraduate Research Committee was established to focus solely on student applications. The faculty-led committee and university-wide committee would eventually merge, reflecting the growing importance and volume of undergraduate research on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was almost like something was in the air,\u201d Gresens says. \u201cDifferent people were coming together at the same time and saying, \u2018This is something we need to do.\u2019 And it worked out remarkably well.\u2019\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same year marked other visible milestones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
From left, UWL Professor Gubbi Sudhakaran, UWL student researcher Mike Whiteside, former U.S. Congressman Ron Kind, and UWL Professor Aaron Monte at a \u201cPosters on the Hill\u201d event in the late 1990s. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Monte coordinated the university\u2019s first Undergraduate Research Day \u2014 an annual forum for students to present their work and the first \u201cJournal of Undergraduate Research\u201d was also launched, giving students a venue to publish their findings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monte compares the time to the artificial intelligence boom of today.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is this new thing out there and everyone is talking about it \u2014 some are curious and trying it and others are opposed, but either way change is coming.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone was immediately convinced. Some faculty and staff questioned whether undergraduates were ready for research \u2014 or whether public presentations would be too demanding. Others preferred to maintain the status quo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the university moved forward.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of trusted innovators and thinkers across campus helped guide that change, building momentum that would shape UWL for decades to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were always folks around campus who wanted to try new things \u2014 they were not content to just maintain,\u201d says Rada. \u201cThat is part of the sauce here at UWL. Every institution has its sauce. And that is ours.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leadership and momentum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
UWL faculty and administration efforts combined to help UWL grow undergraduate research across campus in the 1990s. Some of those faculty and staff are still serving UWL today. From left, Aaron Monte, chemistry professor; Gubbi Sudhakaran, interim dean of the College of Science & Health; Scott Cooper, biology professor and Ron Rada, former longtime faculty member and administrator.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As faculty and staff efforts gained traction, university leadership helped turn momentum into lasting impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Administrators including Rada, Leo Lambert, and College of Science & Health Dean Mike Nelson recognized the value of undergraduate research and worked to expand opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Nelson arrived at UWL in 1998, he came with a clear charge: grow undergraduate research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He brought decades of experience \u2014 first as a student researcher, then as a faculty mentor, and later as president of the national Council on Undergraduate Research, where he advocated for undergraduate research across the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mike Nelson, right, former dean of UWL\u2019s College of Science and Health, came to campus with a vision for promoting undergraduate research at a time when this experience was not typical for students at comprehensive campuses like UWL. Here Nelson stands with former Dean\u2019s Distinguished Fellow and biology student Ben Campbell.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Nelson, the value of research was best understood outside the classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey can sit in a classroom, and I can talk about dinosaurs all day,\u201d says the former geology professor. \u201cBut when I took those students out in the field and had them do research, they understood it so much better.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That hands-on experience, he says, gives students a meaningful head start \u2014 whether they pursue careers or graduate school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At UWL, Nelson helped expand opportunities, including the Dean\u2019s Distinguished Fellowship program<\/a> \u2014 a summer research experience pairing students with faculty mentors and providing stipends. The program has grown from about 10 students in its first year to 35 today, with additional opportunities now available for graduate students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His national connections also raised UWL\u2019s profile. The university hosted the Council on Undergraduate Research conference in 2005, followed by the National Conference on Undergraduate Research<\/a> in 2009 and again in 2013. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHosting conferences like this takes a tremendous amount of effort,\u201d Rada says. \u201cWhat stood out was the sense of purpose and pride people felt in being part of something bigger.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Nelson, the success was always collective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt all came together \u2014 not because of me, but because of the support I had from a core group of faculty and a supportive administration,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building a statewide symposium <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A UWL medical mycology students holds up a petri dish where she is experimenting with fungi in hopes of identifying antibacterial and antifungal properties.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With a strong foundation on campus, faculty turned their attention outward \u2014 working to expand undergraduate research across the Universities of Wisconsin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That effort included making the case to the UW System Board of Regents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI remember presenting to the Board of Regents,\u201d Cooper recalls. \u201cI was probably too young to realize how nervous I should have been.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His argument was straightforward: national conferences were valuable, but often expensive and limited in access. A statewide symposium could offer a similar experience to far more students \u2014 at a fraction of the cost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to present on your own campus,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cBut traveling to a conference makes it feel more real. You\u2019re presenting to a broader audience and making new connections.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symposium quickly became more than a student showcase. It created a space for faculty and staff to connect, share ideas and strengthen undergraduate research programs across campuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt became a focal point for undergraduate research in the state,\u201d Cooper says. \u201cBefore Zoom, this was how we connected \u2014 we needed to be in the same room.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also helped spark new initiatives. The Wisconsin Council on Undergraduate Research (WisCUR<\/a>), which now provides statewide leadership, traces its roots back to that first symposium in 1999. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
For the past 20 years, UWL Biology Professor Scott Cooper has transformed his Molecular Biology Lab into something that looks less like a traditional classroom and more like a small biotechnology company. In his course, students conduct real research for faculty \u201cclients,\u201d producing results that contribute to ongoing scholarly work across campus.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Today, undergraduate research is woven into the fabric of the UWL experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university received national recognition with the Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments (AURA) in 2021<\/a>, and students regularly present their work at regional and national conferences. In the College of Science & Health, involving students in research is now an expectation \u2014 even part of the faculty hiring process.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The high impact of undergraduate research has captured the interest of UWL alumni and friends, many of whom have philanthropically invested to support the program thereby greatly bolstering opportunities\u2014 such as Dean\u2019s Distinguished Fellowships, undergraduate research grants and more. \u201cMany see this as a way to invest in the future, truly making life-changing differences,\u201d says Rada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since arriving at UWL, Monte says his single highest priority has been securing funding to ensure students can fully engage in meaningful research experiences.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough we continue to grow in many ways, financial support allows us to do far more,\u201d Monte says. \u201cWe are deeply grateful to the many generous donors who help us attract and retain students, recognize their hard work, and make their path to graduation more productive, enjoyable and affordable, while providing essential, hands-on training skills.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symposium continues to play a central role in undergraduate research, giving students a platform to share their work, build confidence and gain meaningful experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it returns to campus 25 years later, some of the people who helped build UWL\u2019s undergraduate research culture will be part of the moment \u2014 a full-circle reflection of how far it has come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nelson plans to return, just as he did last spring for the UWL Research & Creativity Symposium. Reflecting on today\u2019s UWL student researchers, he is impressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the things I figured out was that these students are a lot smarter than I ever was,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cBut that makes you feel good \u2014 you know they are going to go on to be really successful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by UW-La Crosse University Marketing & Communications<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwlax.edu\/news\/posts\/the-roots-of-undergraduate-research\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It started, as many good ideas do, with a fresh perspective.  In the mid-1990s, a new generation of faculty arrived at UW\u2013La Crosse. They were energetic, innovative and not especially interested in teaching the way it had always been done \u2014 a lecture hall, a piece of chalk and rows of students watching.   They […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104],"story_category":[146],"class_list":["post-13567","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse","story_category-research-innovation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13567"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}