At WWU, undergraduate students have unparalleled access to top-level research with their professors, allowing them to connect, engage, explore and work to change the world around them. Whether studying ocean acidification, the ecological effects of dam removal, solar energy, gaining a better understanding of how our brains react to addiction, or composing new pieces of music, the research of Western’s students and their faculty mentors make the university one of the highest rated public universities of its kind in the West.
During the 2015-16 academic year, Western students created more than 300 products of independent scholarship – such as conference papers, journal articles, exhibits and posters – and more than 500 products while conducting scholarship with faculty. The opportunity for students to conduct research with faculty guidance, coupled with the fact that 99 percent of classes at WWU are taught by professors instead of graduate assistants, help make Western a place of inclusive excellence and contribute to the university’s unique academic character.
This week is Scholars Week at WWU, an annual celebration of undergraduate research and creative activities that highlight student scholarship throughout the university. From art to engineering, nearly every academic area will be showcased at Scholars Week, but there is no question that undergraduate STEM research will have a major role as Western continues to attract national recognition for excellence in STEM fields.
As reported recently on the blog, student demand for STEM majors has increased significantly in recent years, with the number of STEM majors more than doubling since 2005 and the number of computer science majors increasing by 400 percent since 2010. To accommodate growing student demand, Western has a legislative package to increase STEM capacity by alleviating bottlenecks in entry-level courses and produce an additional 100 STEM graduates each year. Funding to increase STEM enrollments at Western was included in the Senate’s biennial budget proposal.
The Western Legislative Review will continue to provide updates regarding the legislative session in Olympia and WWU’s legislative requests. You can subscribe to the blog on the right side of this page and follow Western Government Relations on Twitter here.
WWU undergraduate research posters on display in the Wilson Library Reading Room