History

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 many programs that support undergraduate research efforts.

URECA - Established 1987. The URECA program is administered through the Office of the Provost/Division of Undergraduate Education. The URECA program 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
2025	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.
2023-present	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.
2022-present	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.
2013-present	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).
2011; 2005-2008	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."
2006	SBU selected as a site for the Beckman Scholars Program.
2001	SBU admitted to Association of American Universities.
2000	SBU designated by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as a Leadership Institution, for "substantially reforming curricula in disciplines as diverse as biological sciences and music; introducing courses in such new fields as biomedical engineering; involving undergraduates in research. . . ." SB honored with Theodore Hesburgh Certificate of Excellence for "Faculty Development to Enhance Undergraduate Teaching and Learning.
1999	SBU selected as a site for the Beckman Scholars Program.
1999	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
1998	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).
1997	SBU 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). This Award was unique in its emphasis on universities' records of past achievement in promoting the synergy between research and classroom learning.
1987	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.

About URECA