/Division of Undergraduate Education
Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

About Ureca

Objective

Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URECA) promotes and supports undergraduate research in all disciplines at Stony Brook. Faculty-mentored research is a high-impact experience that develops problem-solving and presentation skills, contributes to academic success and professional development, and connects students to mentoring communities. Established in 1987, URECA reflects Stony Brook’s historical leadership in integrating research and education; as well as the University’s current priorities as outlined in the “Our Moment” strategic plan of expanding access to transformational educational opportunities.

SBU’s Record of Supporting Undergraduate Research

URECA Established 1987: Stony Brook University (SBU) is a trailblazer in integrating research and undergraduate education: it was one of the first research universities in the country to establish an office for the specific purpose of promoting undergraduate research and creative activity, and offers a variety of programs that support undergraduate research efforts.

The URECA program is administered through the Office of the Provost/Division of Undergraduate Education and has been generously supported by the Simons Foundation since 1987. Additional support for undergraduate research has been made possible through private donations, grants, and corporate sponsorship. The annual URECA campus-wide symposium or "Celebration" is a tradition launched in 1999, soon after the university received the Recognition Award for the Integration of Research and Education (RAIRE) from the National Science Foundation (1997).

Dates - URECA History & Important Dates

URECA launches a spring Humanities Research internship program for first year students. URECA pilots the Research Entry Accelerator for College Transfers (REACT) program, a summer program for incoming transfer students. In spring 2025, URECA partners with CEAS to host Stony Brook’s first annual Engineering Senior Design Showcase.

SUNY SOAR : Summer Opportunity for Academic Research established at SBU in 2023 with the support of the SUNY Chancellor's Summer Research Excellence Fund. Program administered by CIE in partnership with URECA, and provides a summer research experience for academically talented SUNY undergraduates who are first-generation college students or economically disadvantaged.

Starting in 2023, the URECA CELEBRATION includes a VIP Showcase event.

The Frances Velay Women and Science Research Fellowship program established at SBU in 2022 through the College of Arts & Sciences with the support of the Panophil Foundation supports a faculty-mentored summer research experience for undergraduate students in the following STEM areas: Astronomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Space Sciences, Engineering Chemistry, Geology, and/or Physics.

Explorations in STEM program established in 2013 with SUNY-RF funding, through the partnership of URECA, Career Center, CELT, & Technology and Society. The program provides professional development workshops and programming for students considering research and/or professional careers in STEM fields. Students with little to no prior research experience are encouraged to apply. Supported by SUNY RF, the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost in early years (2013-2014), the program since 2015 has generously been sponsored by PSEG. Explorations in STEM also includes collaboration with WISE; and with Simons STEM Scholars (2024-present).

Summer Symposium event launched as a collaborative event hosted by URECA and the Center for Inclusive Education–and now features 100+ poster presentations.

SBU's outstanding undergraduate research & creative projects program cited in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges under "Programs to Look For."

SBU selected as a site for the Beckman Scholars Program.

SBU admitted to Association of American Universities.

  • SBU selected as a site for the Beckman Scholars Program.
  • SBU launched the first Celebration of Undergraduate Achievements in 1999, a university-wide event that showcases the accomplishments of Stony Brook students working with faculty mentors in a range of disciplines. Students display their work through research posters, art exhibits, talks/symposia and performances. 

    Concept of Discovery - Cartoon contributed by George Booth, The New Yorker, for URECA 1999 publication

    "Concept of Discovery" Cartoon contributed by George Booth, The New Yorker, for URECA 1999 publication

SBU established The Reinvention Center, a national center whose mission is to promote an approach to undergraduate education at research universities that emphasizes inquiry, investigation and discovery. 

President Shirley Strum Kenny (appointed in 1994) launched and chaired the Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University with funding from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The result was the Commission's landmark report, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s Research Universities (1998).

SBU is one of ten research universities nationwide to receive a Recognition Award for the Integration of Research and Education (RAIRE) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

SBU established the URECA program/office to promote student participation in undergraduate research and creative activity and help students find placements. With funds contributed by the Simons Foundation, stipends awarded to students to support faculty-mentored research activities (URECA Summer program).

Key Partnerships

URECA’s campus partnerships include: Undergraduate Biology (which has co-sponsored summer research U-BAR/Undergraduate Biology Alumni Research awards since 2012); the Career Center (which co-administers the Explorations in STEM summer program); the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) which since 2022 has co-administered the Velay Fellowships program; External Scholarships and Fellowships Advising; the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE) which co-hosts the Summer Symposium, SBU honors programs (Honors College, University Scholars, WISE); Technology and Society (C-STEP), the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) program, and the Simons STEM Scholars program. URECA also collaborates closely with the Institute for STEM Education which from 2007-2014 co-sponsored the campus-wide research symposium event, the Celebration of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity, and has hosted several signature programs promoting diversity in STEM (including MARC, HHMI, BioPREP). URECA also partners with academic departments hosting Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site Programs.