University of Nebraska - Lincoln
AC-10: Support for Research

The Undergraduate Creative Activities and Research Experience (UCARE) program at UNL is a paid opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty research advisor in fields ranging from arts, education, engineering, and humanities to traditional sciences like chemistry, biology, and physics. Research projects vary from studying switchgrass plants grown for biofuel to identifying and cataloging the poems of Walt Whitman, from exploring the effects of background noise on productivity to creating textiles made from corn. Through UCARE, you'll work alongside world-class UNL faculty members conducting cutting-edge research that will shape the future of Nebraska and beyond.

The library provides support for sustainability research in 5 areas: consultations with librarians (faculty) on research projects, regularly scheduled workshops and course instruction, research assistance, development of research tools, and collection and preservation of historical information. Positive outcomes include: • Faculty and student contributions to the Digital Commons. The UNL Digital Commons, one of the University’s institutional repositories, supports faculty research by providing an easily discoverable depository of research conducted at UNL. Deposits over the past 3 fiscal years total over 20,000 items reflecting the diverse research of UNL. The Digital Commons achieved a notable milestone in January when Cybermetrics Lab’s Ranking Web of Repositories ranked the Digital Commons as 11th worldwide, 7th in North America, and 6th among educational and research institutions. In addition to the Digital Commons institutional repository, UNL also provides repositories for managing and preserving data and multi-media products of research. The University Libraries are also members of the Digital Preservation Network (DPN), which is committed to long-term preservation of research material. • Development of research guides for faculty and students that include web based tutorials for self-paced learning. • Approximately 93 students were reached through librarians working in UCARE & McNair programs. Funded in part by gifts from the Pepsi Quasi Endowment and Union Bank & Trust, UCARE supports UNL undergraduates to work one-on-one with faculty research advisers in research or creative activities. UNL's McNair Scholars Program prepares selected undergraduates for graduate study by providing opportunities to define goals, engage in research, and develop the skills and student/faculty mentor relationships critical to success at the doctoral level.