The Freshman Research Initiative (FRI), developed at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, gives first-year students in the College of Natural Sciences the opportunity to conduct research in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

and

computer sciences Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to applied disciplines (including the design and ...

. The pilot program started with 43 students in three Research Streams. Currently, about 1000 freshmen each year are enrolled in 35 differen
Research Streams
within FRI. Each Research Stream (laboratory) is led by a faculty member who provides guidance to their respective Research Streams, set goals and directions, and develop and teach the Research Experience courses to the students within their stream. Each Research Stream has its own dedicated lab, which is run by a research scientist dedicated to the stream. Major funding for this program was provided by

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

and

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland with additional facilities in Ashburn, Virginia. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American busin ...

Students who participate in the FRI are 30-35% more likely to graduate with a science degree and 23% more likely to go to graduate school.{{cn, date=May 2018 In addition the program is significantly boosting the number of underrepresented students majoring in science, and approximately 103 students have been included as authors of published research papers.R. I. Shear, S. L. Simmons. Teaching through research: Five-year outcome data from the Freshman Research Initiative at The University of Texas at Austin. Presented at American Chemical Society 67th Southwest Regional Meeting, Austin, TX, Nov 11, 2011.

References

# http://digital.turn-page.com/i/95218/10# # http://www.hhmi.org/bulletin/may2012/features/research_courses.html # http://the-scientist.com/2012/02/01/learning-by-doing/ # http://alcalde.texasexes.org/2011/09/research-program-boosts-student-retention-dramatically/ # http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/At-University-of-Texas-research-enhances-teaching-1684356.php # http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/resources/SPT--FullRecord.php?ResourceId=133

External links

* https://cns.utexas.edu/fri University of Texas at Austin 2005 establishments in Texas