Empower Your First-Year Students Through Research
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Join this transformative workshop series to equip your first-year students with the tools and mindset to engage in undergraduate research from day one—maximizing their career impact when it matters most.
You’ll gain ready-to-use resources, expert consultation, and practical strategies to seamlessly integrate research exploration and library services into your FYS curriculum.
The SPARK Center, in collaboration with Adelphi Swirbul Library faculty, invites you to the three workshop series.
- M 2/23/26 -12:00PM-1:30PM – Session 1, UC 113-114 (food will be provided)
- M 3/23/26 – 1:00PM-2:30PM – Session 2, UC 113/114/115
- M 4/20/26 – 12:00PM-1:30PM – Session 3, Swirbul Library Room 200B – 3-4 weeks period for faculty to schedule one-on-one sessions, for example from 4/20/26-05/18/2026
Register Now! Registration deadline: February 10, 2026
Session 1: A Structured Workbook Approach
This first session introduces a transformative resource designed specifically for college freshmen: “Getting Started with Undergraduate Research – A Workbook for College Freshmen.”
While undergraduate research is widely recognized as transformative, very few students participate early in their academic careers. This workshop presents a practical, step-by-step workbook that translates impactful undergraduate research stories into actionable exercises your students can complete independently or as part of your curriculum.
Learning Objectives
The workbook guides freshmen through five structured parts over approximately 4-5 hours of engagement:
- Get a Feel for UG Research – Students explore curated podcast stories from the “College Matters. Alma Matters.” series, featuring real experiences from STEM, humanities, and social sciences disciplines.
- Why Do UG Research? – Students examine career trajectory impacts, knowledge creation, and skill development through additional podcast segments.
- Is UG Research for Me? – Students synthesize their observations to create personalized criteria for selecting research opportunities.
- Create a Shortlist – Students apply their criteria to identify 3-5 research areas within your institution that align with their interests and goals.
- Choose a Research Area – Students conduct informational interviews, shadow researchers, and select their first undergraduate research opportunity.
Why Attend
This workshop will equip you to integrate research exploration into your first-year seminar curriculum, helping students discover research pathways early when they can have maximum impact on career trajectory. The workbook’s customizable structure allows your institution to adapt Part 5 to reflect your specific research infrastructure and opportunities.
Join us to learn how you can inspire our freshmen to transform their college experience through early engagement with undergraduate research.
Workshop Details
- Presented by: Prof. Dr. Justyna Widera-Kalinowska
- Workbook Created by: Venkat Raman, Host of “College Matters. Alma Matters.” Podcast
- Location Session 1: UC 113-114
- Contact: SPARK@adelphi.edu or 516.877.4135.
Session 2: Beyond the Stacks
Modern Library Ecosystems for First-Year Success
Think the library is just a place to check out books? Think again. The first of two one-hour workshops—led by library faculty—pulls back the curtain on the digital and human infrastructure built to support FYS teaching and first-year students as they transition into college-level research.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the session, instructors will leave with:
- An understanding of library services and resources that support undergraduate research and serves as a foundation for future assignments.
- A ready-to-use student checklist for using AI responsibly in research assignments.
- Concrete scaffolding strategies for breaking research into manageable steps (e.g., annotated bibliography by week 4; source evaluation reflection by week 6).
- A direct link to the new FYS Student LibGuide with curated, course-ready library resources and tools.
Workshop Details
- Presented by: Prof. Sandra Urban and Prof. Kimberly Mullins
- Location Session 2: UC 113/114/115
- Contact: Sandra Urban at surban@adelphi.edu, 516.877.3542 or Kimberly Mullins at kmullins@adelphi.edu, 516.877.3593.
Session 3: The Library Assignment Lab
Designing Research-Rich Learning Experiences
Ready to transform a standard research paper into an engaging inquiry project? Join us for the second of two one hour workshops focusing on a hands-on “design clinic.” Whether you are building a new assignment or refining a long-standing one, this workshop provides the space and expert consultation to integrate library resources seamlessly into your curriculum. Bring your drafts, your ideas, and your laptops for one-on-one feedback from library faculty and support from other FYS instructors. You will leave with the final stages of a “librarian-approved” research assignment!
Workshop Details
- Presented by: Prof. Sandra Urban and Prof. Kimberly Mullins
- Location Session 3: Swirbul Library Room 200B
- Contact: Sandra Urban at surban@adelphi.edu, 516.877.3542 or Kimberly Mullins at kmullins@adelphi.edu, 516.877.3593.
This event is part of the SPARK center seminar series. Organized in collaboration with Swirbul Library.
For more information, please contact Dr. Justyna Widera-Kalinowska at 516.877.4135 or the SPARK center at spark@adelphi.edu.