Research Impact Partners

Connecting Research and Education At TExas (CREATE) was founded in 2017 through a partnership established between Dr. Sean T. Roberts at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and Dr. Shawn M. Amorde at Austin Community College (ACC) with support from the National Science Foundation. CREATE’s initial goal was to improve community college student retention in the physical sciences by fostering mentorship relationships between ACC students and UT faculty through research projects tied to green energy. Over time, CREATE’s managing team has been broadened to include Dr. Emily Que (UT), Dr. Samantha Soebbing (ACC), Dr. Purna Murthy (ACC), and Dr. Huilang (Evan) Wang (UT) which has allowed its scope to expand into a range of areas in chemistry, molecular biosciences, physics, materials science, and engineering.

The Environmental Science Institute (ESI) was founded as a multi-disciplinary institute for basic scientific research in environmental studies. The Institute serves as a focal point on campus for a wide scope of interdisciplinary research and teaching. ESI coordinates cross-departmental environmental science instruction; facilitates education and outreach in STEM fields; and disseminates advances in the area of enviromental science that are important locally and globally. ESI coordinates innovative educational outreach programs that work together to support awareness of science, technology, engineering and math, promost better communication of scientific research, and ultimately spark an interest in science and learning. Host Science - Cool Talks provides a front row seat to world-class research. Presented by ESI, this nationally recognized series allows leading researchers from UT and other prominent universities to share their passion about science, technology, engineering and math with the general public. Events are held six times a year (on-campus or virtually).

The Freshman Research Initiative (FRI) gives first-year students the opportunity to initiate and engage in real-world research experience with faculty and graduate students.

GeoFORCE Texas develops the next generation of STEM workforce through participation in traveling in-person and virtual field academies. Students travel throughout the U.S. for 1 week in the summer for 4 consecutive years learning about geologically relevant field sites from experts in Earth science. Student recruitment is focused on 8th grade students, application is required for selection into the program, and participation is free.

Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology, and leading the movement to inspire, educate and equip young women with the computing skills needed to pursue 21st-century opportunities. The Girls Who Code College Loops are committed to reaching gender parity in tech by creating an inclusive community on campus and offers monthly challenges focused on honing computer science skills and engaging women to take action, collaborate, and create with one another.

The University of Texas High School Research Initiative is a scientific inquiry program focused on training teachers in rural high schools across Texas to successfully lead independent project based research experiences for high school students, infuse inquiry into existing curriculum, and use innovative resources to support inquiry in the classroom. The program provides access to training, resources, and undergraduate mentors to facilitate flexible modular experiences in the health sciences for high school classrooms.

The summer High School Research Academy provides high school students with an immersive and hands-on five-week interdisciplinary research experience at the University of Texas at Austin campus. (Including 9th-12th grade students)

This nationally recognized series allows leading researchers from The University of Texas and other prominent universities to share their passion for science, technology, engineering and math with the general public. Events are held six times a year. Visit our website for the latest talk!

The Office of Institutional Research and Analytics collaborates with researchers to design evaluation plans that are rigorous, trustworthy, and tailored to the needs of the program and/or grant. It provides expertise in designing data collection, analysis and reporting which supports program improvement and meets funder and stakeholder needs.

This summer program pairs 2-4 students with a Freshmen Research Initiative Research Stream for a unique two-hour tour of a real scientific laboratory.