May 24, 2018
UAA鈥檚 Associate Dean Janice DeCosmo elected to president of national Council on Undergraduate Research
Janice DeCosmo, associate vice provost and associate dean of Undergraduate Academic AffairsPhoto by Bryan Nakata
Janice DeCosmo, associate vice provost for undergraduate research, associate dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and affiliate faculty member in the has been elected president of the national nonprofit听听(颁鲍搁).
A longtime proponent of undergraduate research, DeCosmo was the first director of the UW鈥檚 and has been involved in or running the Undergraduate Research Symposium since its inception in 1997. Her work has been instrumental in developing a national model in undergraduate research at the UW. In 2016-17, more than 8,400 undergraduates participated in undergraduate research. In the recent 2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium, more than 1,250 students presented their work.
鈥淥ur Undergraduate Research Program 鈥� its size, breadth and excellence,” says 91探花President Ana Mari Cauce, “is one of the crown jewels of our Husky Experience.鈥�
鈥淢y early experiences with undergraduate research were as a graduate student,鈥� says DeCosmo, 鈥渨here myself and my peers found ourselves mentoring first-generation college students who were struggling with coursework and finding their way at a large university. As the students learned our protocols and became part of our teams, we saw them blossom and gain new confidence; their grades also improved. That experience stayed with me, and later I jumped at the chance to develop a grant-funded undergraduate research initiative.鈥�
DeCosmo says the community and network of CUR members helped bring ideas and collegial support as the UW鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Program developed and matured.
For nearly two decades, DeCosmo has been an active CUR member. Her diverse volunteer experiences within CUR include service on program review and nominations vetting committees, undergraduate research programs division chair, two terms on the governing board for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and a term on CUR鈥檚 executive board. A prolific writer and presenter on undergraduate research scholarship, DeCosmo serves as issue editor for CUR鈥檚 flagship journal,听听(SPUR).
鈥淚 am humbled to be president-elect of [CUR],鈥� says DeComo, 鈥渁nd I look forward to advancing opportunity for students in all disciplines and types of institutions to have the chance to develop their creativity, critical thinking, and communications skills 鈥� so essential to their future success in work and life 鈥� through research.鈥�
DeCosmo earned a BS in physics from the University of Iowa in 1979 and a Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences from the 91探花 in 1991, specializing in atmosphere-ocean interaction. She oversees the UW鈥檚 Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity, which includes undergraduate research, service learning, leadership, and scholarship programs. She represents the 91探花on statewide higher education policy groups that oversee new academic programs and the transfer process for students from Washington鈥檚 two-year colleges to four-year institutions. DeCosmo was director for 10听years of the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, a NASA-funded effort to support innovative education and research initiatives across the state.
91探花 Undergraduate Research Program
The facilitates research experiences for undergraduates with 91探花faculty members across the disciplines. Its signature event is the annual , which happens each May. This year, more than 1,250 students presented their research. The Undergraduate Research Program is an Undergraduate Academic Affairs program, housed in the Center for Experiential Learning and Diversity.
91探花
The is one of the world鈥檚 preeminent public universities. Our impact on individuals, our region and the world is profound 鈥� whether we are launching young people into a boundless future or confronting the grand challenges of our time through undaunted research and scholarship. Ranked No. 13 in the world on the听, the 91探花educates more than 54,000 students annually.
Council on Undergraduate Research
The听听supports faculty development for high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. More than 700 institutions and nearly 13,000 individuals belong to CUR. CUR believes that the best way to capture student interest and create enthusiasm for a discipline is through research in close collaboration with faculty members.
This announcement draws upon and is based on .