University of Georgia undergraduate David Mitchell of Fayetteville is part of a group of 24 freshmen and sophomores selected to participate in a research apprentice program sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Through the CURO Apprentice Program, UGA's Honors Program has been promoting these research partnerships at the onset of college so that the students can delve right into their fields of interest and explore various options of their chosen career paths.

Mitchell, a freshman finance and accounting major, is working with Victoria Plaut, a professor in psychology. His project involves social psychology questions such as the various gender stereotypes that exist in the male-dominated work force of fields such as computer science. He says that he anticipates the results will show that stereotypes and prejudices have more of an influence than the human mind can comprehend at a conscious level. He is a graduate of Sandy Creek High School.

“We have Honors students who choose UGA rather than other top schools in the country because of the opportunities to do research early in their career,” said David S. Williams, director of the Honors Program. “As the CURO Apprentice Program continues to grow in stature and reputation, we are examining how we can further maximize the two-year apprenticeship. For example, this year the Honors Program supported 14 CURO Apprentices’ travel to present posters and oral presentations at a national conference.”

As part of the program, the apprentices attend a weekly interdisciplinary seminar with a strong writing component that focuses on issues and methods related to conducting research. Invited speakers such as Jay Hakes, director of the Jimmy Carter Library in Atlanta, provide an expert perspective on timely national topics and encourage further debate and discussion among the apprentices.

“The small weekly seminar provides the support and encouragement for these undergraduates who are undertaking the challenge of research,” said Pamela Kleiber, associate director of the Honors Program. “CURO apprentices may decide to don white lab coats to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with nationally and internationally recognized research faculty, while other apprentices prefer to create art or investigate psychological or social problems, political processes or international affairs. Diversity of individuals, program of study, thought and approach is integral to the CURO Apprentice Program."

Students in the program receive additional support from teaching assistants, former apprentices who exemplified outstanding leadership during their time in the program. These teaching assistants lead small groups each week in which the current apprentices can receive more in-depth student viewpoints about the topics addressed in the seminars.

Freshmen chosen for the Apprentice Program may continue through their sophomore year if they maintain a minimum 3.4 GPA and receive a satisfactory performance review.

For more information about the CURO Apprentice Program, visit www.uga.edu/honors/curo.

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