Our mission is to foster and support diverse undergraduate participation in faculty-guided scholarly research and creative inquiry. Student participants progress through initial training in research or other creative skills, to designing and revising the structure of their projects, and culminating in research, creative and professional contributions that are original and timely.
Connect With Us
- Register for our biweekly newsletter
- Email ugresearch@syr.edu
- Call 315.443.2091. Leave us a voicemail and we’ll return your call.
- Stop by 208 Bowne Hall
Our History
In November 2018, Syracuse University announced the commitment of $1 million annually to support a new center for undergraduate research, the collaborative vision of students, faculty, staff and administrators to strengthen the University’s position as a preeminent and inclusive student-focused research institution. With resources from the Invest Syracuse initiative, the new comprehensive undergraduate research center quadrupled central University support for research and creative work by undergraduates.
This was the result to the collective effort of multiple constituents—including the Student Association, the University Senate Research Committee and the Renée Crown University Honors Program—and the leadership of Cathryn R. Newton, senior advisor to the Chancellor and Provost for faculty engagement, who was charged with bringing together the best ideas of students, faculty and staff. Growth of the newly established center was led by Newton, Vice President for Research John Liu, and transition consultants Barry L. Wells and Maura Ivanick.
In March 2019, the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (The SOURCE) was officially opened, with a dedication ceremony held at the SOURCE’s new home, Bird Library. In April 2019, inaugural student grants were awarded to 103 students from disciplines across campus.
SOURCE Team
Kate Hanson
Director
khanso01@syr.edu
As director of the SOURCE, Kate works to plan programs and activities that support undergraduate student participation in the research, scholarly and creative activities of Syracuse University. She enjoys working with students in all phases of the research journey and helping them navigate the challenges and successes of scholarly and creative discovery. Kate recognizes the critical importance of dedicated, thoughtful faculty mentorship and designs initiatives to support faculty as they supervise student projects and integrate student assistants in their own work.
Kate holds a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Southern California, with a focus on the early modern Italian visual culture of food in print and painting. Before joining the SOURCE, Kate worked in the Renée Crown University Honors Program, developed programming for nationally competitive scholarship and fellowship advising and taught first-year writing seminars as a Postdoctoral Faculty Fellow at Syracuse University.
Odette Marie Rodríguez
Assistant Director
orodri02@syr.edu
Odette, the SOURCE’s Assistant Director, works to support SOURCE programming to effectively serve diverse student researchers and faculty mentors. She leads the Student Research Mentor Team, develops outreach and training programs, and assists with strategic planning for the SOURCE. Odette previously worked at Colgate University, where she served as the program coordinator for the Center for Women’s Studies. At the center, she supported student interns and academic projects, developed programming, and facilitated workshops and advocated for campus initiatives in equity, inclusion and accessibility.
Prior to moving to Central New York, Odette worked in K-12 education in her home state of Florida. She is currently pursuing an MS in cultural foundations of education at Syracuse University and received a BA in women’s studies and theatre from Florida State University.
Chrissy Parisi
Operations Support Coordinator
clparisi@syr.edu
As the Operations Support Coordinator, Chrissy plays a crucial role in managing the office’s budget and supporting event planning and execution. She also helps students navigate their SOURCE awards through regular budget meetings.
Before joining SOURCE, Chrissy served as the Office Coordinator for the School of Architecture at SU. She holds a BA in Linguistics with a minor in Cognitive Science from SUNY Oswego.
Student Research Mentors
Meet our student research mentors, who play a vital role in the vibrant life of undergraduate research and creative work at Syracuse University.
In Memory
In October 2020, the SOURCE, CSTEP, the School of Education and Syracuse community unexpectedly lost a wonderful person. Bridget Lawson had just started her new role with us as the assistant director of the SOURCE. Bridget touched the lives of so many through her deep commitments to education, social justice and mentorship, and we will never forget her.