The Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge (TURC) has offered mentored research to undergraduates at The University of Tulsa since 1992. The program allows students to engage in significant research projects with faculty mentors in the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences, the Collins College of Business, the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, and the Oxley College of Health Sciences. Because the process of research has distinct qualities for every field of inquiry, students may engage with TURC throughout the pursuit of any degree and regardless of the form the pursuit of scholarship may take.
All TURC scholars adhere to the three tenants of TURC: research, scholarship and service. TURC endeavors to prepare students for service and leadership within their various communities and professions. Accordingly, all TURC scholars are required to participate in community engagement projects of their choosing.
Undergraduate research is the centerpiece of the TURC program. Under the guidance of faculty mentors, TURC students conduct original and intellectually significant research within their various disciplines. 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). TURC students participate in the Annual Research Colloquium sponsored by the Graduate School.
Admission to TURC is competitive, and each college has its own admission process.
