About the Office

OUR Mission

The mission of the Office of Undergraduate Research is to promote and support a culture of faculty-mentored scientific, entrepreneurial, and creative inquiry within the undergraduate community at Morgan State University (MSU).

OUR Vision

The Office of Undergraduate Research offers high-impact academic programming, experiential learning, and graduate school/career-readiness opportunities for all students at MSU who wish to enhance their education by engaging in undergraduate research.

Modeled after the success of MSU's National Institutes of Health grant-funded ASCEND Scholars Program, the Office of Undergraduate Research's work will leverage the ASCEND Entrepreneurial Research Training Model, which consists of four main stages.

1. Attraction and Inspiration
2. Ideation and Innovation
3. Implementation
4. Growth

The primary goal of the ASCEND model is to empower students to exchange ideas, and find their own research topic and develop it, so that they are creative and take ownership of their research.

Furthermore, the OUR mission and vision are grounded by our commitment to RESEARCH:

Relationship-building with external institutions and organizations to create high-quality experiential learning opportunities for our students

Establishing and maintaining a searchable online database for discipline-specific, on- and off-campus internships, research experiences, and workshops

Supplementing skills development through the creation and promotion of credit-bearing, research-focused courses

Evaluating our impact and presenting the data on student persistence, retention, and post-baccalaureate outcomes

Awarding scholars with funding to participate in national conferences and/or research projects

Referring undergraduates, regardless of affiliation with other student clubs or research programs, to join the Student Research Center, which fosters peer support, leadership development, and research innovation

Collaborating with MSU programs, Departments, and faculty to synergize networking, professional development, undergraduate mentoring, and graduate school preparation initiatives

Highlighting students' discoveries and creativity through the coordination of an annual University-wide symposium and showcase