High-impact research experiences for undergraduates and their mentors on a low budget: Do a meta-analysis!

Faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) often operate in an environment where supporting resources and the availability of time for high-impact science projects are at a minimum. Nonetheless, they are increasingly expected to maintain scholarly productivity while providing enriching research experiences for their students. Quantitative synthesis projects can serve as high-impact vehicles for undergraduates to explore their scientific interests, hone their organizational and analytical skills, and generally prepare for key expectations of graduate school. For faculty at PUIs, these types of mentor-mentee projects can result in potentially high-impact publications with little or no budgetary or infrastructural resources. It’s a win-win!