Editorial

Abstract

In the last few years especially, Rutgers and many other universities have emphasized the importance of engaging undergraduates in research. Students, faculty members, and the public all benefit from this engagement. Through research experiences, undergraduates learn the nature of scholarly work, acquire skills useful in the workplace, and establish close mentoring relationships with faculty. Faculty members have the pleasure of working with talented, interested, and motivated students, whose results may contribute significantly to research programs and sometimes point research in new directions. Finally, the public gains from the continuing entry into the work force of highly skilled people prepared to solve complex, global problems.

In Volume 2 of the Rutgers Scholar, undergraduates and faculty authors present results in areas that range from Latin American relations, through the study of sleep patterns in surgical patients, to the origins of the sediments in Barnegat Bay. The articles make for reading that is interesting with respect to findings; challenging because of the high level at which the studies were carried out; and heartening for what it implies about the state of undergraduate scholarship.