Research Ambassadors - Applications for 2018-2019 Due May 15, 2018

Abdulaziz Aldakhel is a senior majoring in Economics and Political Science. He served as a Research Ambassador for the 2017-2018 school year and has close to 2.5 years of experience as an undergraduate researcher at Emory.

Emory prides itself on being one of the best research institutions in the country –and it is. With approximately $630 million in research funding, Emory University has the financial means to devote many resources to research. Undergraduate Research Programs (URP) is a great resource that allows undergraduate students at Emory to benefit from all these opportunities. In order to ensure that students are aware of these opportunities, a team of  Research Ambassadors work together to accomplish the mission of URP and support the mission of the program by getting students engaged in different research fields. To help students make the most out of these resources and to start working on research projects, the team collaborates to make research accessible and to assist with finding opportunities for students—including those who want to be engaged early on in their education.

RAs volunteering at the Spring 2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium

One of the most important functions that Research Ambassadors do is peer advising. Peer advising is the very first step for many undergraduate students who want to find out more about research and the opportunities on campus. URP has designated a specific space for students to drop by and meet with some of the RAs if they have any issue or concern with regard to any step in the process of doing research, even finding a research space. You can see them in the EPASS space on the second floor in Woodruff Library meeting with a students several times during the week. An appointment with an RA can be scheduled via the EPASS website—ASST appointments. RAs advise undergraduate researchers on how to reach out to faculty members, from finding resources to drafting emails for professors that the student is interested in working with. The tasks that research ambassadors take on vary, from creating research guides/toolkits that students can use as a reference when looking for research opportunities to meeting with students on a one-on-one basis.

RAs answering questions at a PERSE event.

In addition, RAs organize events that keep the Emory community updated on URP programs and events related to research that take place on campus. The primary purpose of these events is to reach out to Emory students and tell them about how they can be involved in research programs during the current upcoming semesters as well as answer questions and be present in an active manner. 

RAs presenting at their information session in November 2017.

One of the areas where the team’s focus lays is in participating in social events, organizing workshops and research symposiums as a way of reaching out to the Emory community and promote URP programs. Among these social events is Wonderful Wednesday, which takes place at Asbury Circle every Wednesday. Research Ambassadors are present at an information booth and answer any questions that students might have. RAs are also involved in various research symposiums on campus, such as the Fall & Spring Undergraduate Research Symposiums. They are involved in both setting up the event and presenting posters.     

RAs tabling at Wonderful Wednesday.

Also, the team works together on improving the programs that URP organizes and making sure that undergraduate researchers get the most out of this experience. In order to do so, RAs provide the URP staff with feedback on current events and programs that are taking place on campus and meet regularly to brainstorm and come up with ideas and events that can enhance/improve the experience of undergraduate researchers.

Visit the Undergraduate Research Programs website to learn more about applying to be a Research Ambassador. Applications for our 2018-2019 RAs are due May 15th, 2018.