Is sponsored research detrimental to undergraduate engineering education?

The authors consider the impact of sponsored university research on the quality of undergraduate education. Their general opinion is that, although it is clear that the public benefits from the powerful research establishment now extant in the U.S. university system, it is less certain that undergraduate students are obtaining a higher-quality educational experience as a result of sponsored research in universities. They believe that mechanisms should be established by universities to ensure that sponsored research programs provide a demonstrable benefit to undergraduate education