Advanced, open-ended research as part of the `standard' physics baccalaureate curriculum: Challenges and rewards

There is little disagreement among most graduate school recruiters for physics (or related fields) or even technical employers that inclusion of open ended research activity is beneficial to the student. Often in undergraduate-only institutions, research with undergraduates is the primary avenue for scholarly activity for the faculty in the department, making the prospect beneficial to the faculty member as well. However, this synergistic activity brings about issues not faced by researchers at larger institutions including time scales, availability of non-faculty mentors and publication opportunities. However, at Angelo State such faculty-student collaborations have been a mainstay of the program. An overview of the efforts, problems encountered and solutions found in the quest to maintain and grow opportunities for research with undergraduates will be discussed.