Overview
The Science Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Network was established in 2016 by a community of Irish institutions interested in enhancing practice in undergraduate research in the Sciences. The SURE Network aims to enhance practice through dissemination of best practice, and implementation of workshops, conferences and an undergraduate journal. The SURE Network is a disciplinary network and member of the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
Purpose
The purpose of the SURE Network is: to form a community of institutions and people interested in enhancing practice in undergraduate research in the Sciences.
Objectives
The objectives of the SURE Network are:
- To provide a shared space where resources can be exchanged, disseminated and stored for use by others.
- To form a community where connections can be formed on a national and/or regional basis to enable the establishment of inter-institutional initiatives e.g. undergraduate conferences.
- To provide a platform which can be used by institutions to collectively apply for sponsorship, funding etc where appropriate.
Activities
The activities of the SURE Network are:
- Conferences: Starting in 2018, the SURE Network has implemented an annual series of regional undergraduate conferences in the Sciences. Three regional Science Undergraduate Research Conferences have taken place in each of September 2018 and September 2019. The SURE conference took place virtually as one national online conference in 2020 and 2021. Two regional conferences took place in October 2022. A single, national conference will take place in October 2023. Final year students form the audience for conferences, at which the presenters are their counterparts from the previous year. More information…
- Journal: The best papers from the conferences are invited to submit a paper to an Undergraduate Research Journal, which is published online and edited by the SURE Network. More information…
- Curriculum Development: The SURE Network is committed to researching and developing models for the effective integration of research into the undergraduate curriculum in the Sciences. More information…
- SUREbyts: SUREbyts provides video content of reserchers in a format designed to integrate research into the early years of undergraduate programmes in the Sciences. More information…
Institutional Membership
The SURE Network is comprised of representatives of the following Higher Education Institutions in Ireland:
- Atlantic Technological University
- Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Munster Technological University
- South East Technological University
- Technological University Dublin
- Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest
Structure
See the Committees section of this site.