We are having this conference to promote
undergraduate research we think
undergraduate research is a key part of
the experience for our students. Our faculty
are quite interested in learning from
the best models from around the region
Undergraduate research is 
what we call high-impact practices
these are
opportunities that are provided to students
that really
enhance learning
and we know that students doing independent
researchers as undergraduates
really takes learning to the next level
so it goes beyond
what's in the class room
We got a chance to go to the rare books room
at our library. We got to work with the original Victorian texts
We had the opportunity to research a topic of our choice
about the Victorian period
and how it applied to "Bleak House"
so we actually got
 to use the original material
in the rare books room
like journals edited by Dickens and the original "Bleak House" for our research
I feel like it really is a
rewarding experience and it allows them to
get out
their area that they would usually be in
and get to explore new
things that might fascinate them. It is a very rewarding experience overall.
Augustana has a rich tradition of undergraduate
research. Many departments had senior capstone
kind of experiences. In the
last ten years we've really put more of
an emphasis on
the capstone what we call senior inquiry
and now it's to the point that every
department college will offer that
opportunity for students
