Work in Progress: A Synergistic Undergraduate Research Model Leveraging Capstone-Style Projects and Grid Computing

In this paper we present a novel method we have initiated to develop an undergraduate research culture that (i) fosters broader participation of classes, (ii) induces organic discovery of ideas, (iii) enables active contributions to one or more emerging research areas, (iv) exploits creative skills as well as the intellectual abilities (v) encourages debates and presentations about research in organized forums, and finally (iv) takes advantage of capstone-style research courses. The framework we define is born out of the experience we gained from our efforts in the adaptation of grid computing and curriculum development. We leverage the knowledge base and rich pedagogy that we have built as a part of this exploratory CCLI grant (Ramamurthy, B, 2006; Ramamurthy and Abhaynakar, 2006). We call this initiative The Comprehensive Undergraduate Research Environment (CURE). We expect CURE to offer an effective framework for involving undergraduates in research