UNC's Accelerated Research Program helps students step into the world of research

The Office of Undergraduate Research’s Accelerated Research Program is an opportunity for first-years to begin research as soon as they enroll at UNC instead of later in their academic journey.

The program is only open to first-year students who are selected during the college admissions process. According to the OUR website, students are selected by admissions reviewers for their ability to "tackle intellectual challenges and problem-solve across a variety of contexts." 

If chosen, they can enroll early in one of two classes: Interdisciplinary Studies 198: Research Beyond Academia or Interdisciplinary Studies 199: Modes of Inquiry. Both courses are taught by OUR Director Bob Pleasants.

“It’s a joy for me to work with students early in their college career, to learn about what inspires them and motivates them as students, and then to be able to play a role in helping them find research opportunities that match their interests,” Pleasants wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel. 

Pleasants wrote that the program is at least a decade old and is presented as one of the Special Opportunities granted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to attract students to the University. Other Special Opportunities include assured enrollment programs and study abroad initiatives.

The program provides early networking and resources from OUR, guidance and support in pursuing research and funding opportunities, and events hosted by the department and an early introduction to the Carolina Research Scholars program. A small group of participants within the Accelerated Research Program are granted a $5,000 summer research award as part of their admissions package. 

Additionally, each incoming students is assigned to an OUR ambassador: a UNC upperclassman who provides mentorship during the first-year's research endeavors. Topics of research can range from humanities to STEM to the arts. In past years, students have conducted research on topics varying from creative writing to international microfinance.

Rodina Eliwa, a second-year student and OUR ambassador who is pursuing cardiovascular research at the UNC School of Medicine,said that the process of finding a research lab can be overwhelming. As a mentor, Eliwa said that she valued being the person that other people couldn’t be for her.

Zachary Ficenec, another OUR ambassador, wrote in an email to The DTH that the program is very low-commitment to the mentees. There are no specific requirements and the program can be however much the students want it to be, he wrote. 

“There are so many opportunities at Carolina," Ficnec, who is conducting cardiovascular research at the Schisler Lab, wrote. "You just need to look in the right spots.”

Cayden Hammonds, another member of the Accelerated Research Program, is a research assistant at the UNC and N.C. State University Lampe Joint Department of Engineering's Brain-Spine-Machine Interface Lab. Hammonds said that the Accelerated Research Program is a good place to network and reach people from different labs and that everyone had a sense of camaraderie with each other because of the need to find labs.

Ficenec wrote that everyone in the program was very supportive and willing to help wherever they could. He wrote that he doesn’t think he would have gotten involved in research so quickly if it wasn’t for the program. 

Eliwa voiced similar sentiments, saying she met many of her friends through Interdisciplinary Studies 198, which she took in her first year at UNC. She said the course and Pleasants had a really good impact on her.

"Everyone who I know who was in the program, who I took [Interdisciplinary Studies] 198 with, they're all in research now," she said. "So that should be a pretty good checkpoint."

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