The centerpiece of TURC is research or scholarship. The goals of such research may be to deliver papers at academic conferences, to produce publishable articles or to initiate meaningful community projects. In disciplines in which publications are not the standard of scholarship, other criteria may be used (e.g., a musical composition, an art exhibit).
Each TURC student has a faculty mentor who will help them along paths of mutual interest and monitor progress. The TURC program recognizes that academic disciplines are variable in the ways scholars conduct research and in the amount of background study necessary to be effective. As a result, the kind and amount of preparation necessary will vary by discipline, student and project.
TURC participants receive the training and mentoring needed to contend for nationally competitive scholarships, such as Goldwater, Marshall, Truman and Rhodes, and National Science Foundation graduate fellowships. Competing for scholarships is neither the program’s primary goal nor fitting for every TURC student. But given the program’s inherent components, applying for nationally competitive scholarships has been a natural progression for many TURC students.
Questions about TURC? Email OIEL@utulsa.edu .