Getting Started: Establishing a Meaningful Program of Research or Creative Activities
Steven E. Benzley, Professor of Civil Engineering
Associate Dean, General and Honors Education
I.Establishing and being flexible in your area of focus
There is an interesting statement about success that I believe applies directly to those of us in the academic world. The statement comes from Gordie Howe the well-known professional hockey player. When asked to explain why he was so successful, Gordie candidly replied "I skate to where the puck is going to be." I believe the same advice applies to successful research programs. Stated differently, successful research programs involve knowing what topics are going to be of interest (to funding agencies) and positioning yourself to take advantage of that interest. In considering my own experience, I have changed focus about 5 times in the last 25 years, from "fracture mechanics," to "ground subsidence," to "Computer Aided Engineering Integration," to "finite element mesh generation," and now I am in the process of beginning an emphasis on "engineering ethics." Each of these changes came quite naturally, most generally because both a research sponsor and I had an interest in the topic. In all I have had sixteen different agencies sponsor research. Each of these changes also brought a new beginning and the associated excitement of becoming involved in a fresh (but related) area.
II. BYU Resources
In a university environment, some researchers may work best in an individual focused effort. Others find that the formation of research groups, with two or three principal investigators, is often a satisfying and mutually beneficial way to function. Larger based research efforts, such as Laboratories or Centers, are often excellent ways for new faculty to become affiliated with established programs. Needless to say, the university has excellent support systems and facilities to enhance the success of research and creative activities in all of the above situations.
BYU students are second to none in academic credentials and are superior research assistants. However, we suffer somewhat at BYU in that we have a smaller graduate school thus a smaller pool of graduate students available for assistants. However, a resource that may not be fully utilized at this point, is the significant number of undergraduate honors students with their honors thesis requirement. These students, particularly if they are recruited as juniors and have a chance to become intimately involved with research, provide an excellent source of research assistants. These students can also obtain university funding through the Office of Research and Creative Activities to support their research.
III. External Resources
I recommend a visit to the Illinois Research Information Service (HUS) World Wide Web site http://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris. This is an excellent database, organized by discipline, to identify funding opportunities. Since BYU has a license for this facility, you must be on a BYU server to properly access the site. Below is a portion of a search for "Civil Engineering."
Search criteria: all "civil engineering" and dl before 01/01/98
Records found: 99
Sorted by: Sponsor
Record Number: 3158
American Society for Engineering Education Awards
ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED: Prize or Award
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND REQUIRED: Doctorate/Equiv Professional
DEADLINES ANNOUNCED: 01/15/97
Record Number: 7058
American Society for Engineering Education
NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowships Johnson Space Center
ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED: Consultant or Visiting Personnel, Collaborative Activity
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND REQUIRED: Doctorate/Equiv Professional
DEADLINES ANNOUNCED: 01/15/97
Record Number: 3687
American Society for Engineering Education
NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowships Langley Research Center
ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED: Consultant or Visiting Personnel Collaborative Activity
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND REQUIRED: Doctorate/Equiv Professional
DEADLINES ANNOUNCED: 01/15/97
Record Number: 2561
AGC Education and Research Foundation Klinger and Jellinger Awards
ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED: Teaching or Curric/Prog Development
Equipment or Materials Acquisition
Consultant or Visiting Personnel
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND REQUIRED: Doctorate/Equiv Professional
DEADLINES ANNOUNCED: 11/01/96
Record Number: 3670
AGC Education and Research Foundation Outstanding Educator Award
ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED: Prize or Award
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND REQUIRED: Doctorate/Equiv Professional
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