Sep. 24, 2015
Egger named Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research
Anne Egger, assistant professor in geological sciences and science education, has been named the director of the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR).
“CWU really excels in the area of undergraduate research”, said Dominic Klyve, the interim director of the Douglas Honors College, “and I’m very excited about bringing in new leadership as we continue to expand the good work we are doing.”
Egger brings a long history of involvement with undergraduate research to the position. Prior to arriving at CWU, she served as co-director of the undergraduate research program in the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University, where she grew the program from five to nearly 50 students over seven years. In addition, she served a three-year term as geoscience councilor in the Council on Undergraduate Research, and has mentored several undergraduates at Stanford as well as at CWU in projects that range from assessing the geoscience literacy of introductory students to mapping fault scarps to determine seismic hazards.
Undergraduate research and creative expression have grown significantly since the office was first established in 2005, particularly evident in the expansion of SOURCE (Symposium On University Research and Creative Expression) as a venue for student presentations.
“I look forward to building on that growth and success and working with other programs on campus to establish undergraduate research within the campus culture,” said Egger.
Formerly housed in Graduate Studies and Research, the OUR moved to the William O. Douglas Honors College in fall 2015. The appointment comes with a reorganization and revitalization of the OUR.
The OUR is also hiring an assistant director to manage the administration of SOURCE and OUR fellowships, allowing the new director to spend more time on faculty development, training, and university-wide coordination of undergraduate research.
Klyve, who chaired the search committee for the new director, was pleased and surprised by the interest in the position from the campus community. “Our committee interviewed a number of faculty who are strongly devoted to undergraduate research. I was deeply impressed by the depth and breadth of experience demonstrated by Central’s faculty.” Klyve pointed out that Egger’s experience in reaching outside of her discipline to build undergraduate research connections, together with her administrative experience, made her the perfect person for the job.
Egger assumes her new responsibilities on September 15.
Media Contact: Valerie Chapman-Stockwell, Public Affairs, 509-963-1518, valeriec@cwu.edu