2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Embedding Research and Innovation in Undergraduate Education: Lessons from the URaD Program

Presented at Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division (LEES) Poster Session

This paper presents the Undergraduate Research and Discovery (URaD) Scholar Program, a selective, one-year program at a private university classified as a Master’s College and University –- Larger Programs, according to the Carnegie Classification system. The program mentors students in research, innovation, and creative inquiry through a signature program. The program combines curricular and co-curricular elements where students engage in a sequence of zero-credit, in-person High-Impact Experience (HIE) courses that provide scaffolding in research design, innovation methods, and scholarly communication. Each student is paired with a faculty mentor and is required to complete a discipline-specific undergraduate research course by May of the following year. Eligibility is based on faculty recommendations, and a statement of research interest, ensuring that selected students demonstrate both academic readiness and potential for contribution. Upon successful completion, students receive a certificate of achievement, formally recognizing their research experience. Early indicators suggest increased student engagement and stronger faculty–student collaboration across disciplines. The paper will further discuss the program’s design, implementation challenges, assessment framework, and anticipated impact, offering a scalable model for institutions seeking to institutionalize undergraduate research within liberal arts and sciences curricula.

Authors

Dr. Haidar Harmanani http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5416-4383 Lebanese American University [biography]

Haidar Harmanani received the B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1989, 1991 and 1994, respectively. He is currently a professor of computer science and the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the Lebanese American University. His research interests span high-level synthesis, design automation, parallel computing, machine learning, and applied artificial intelligence. Throughout his career, he has led and contributed to multiple institutional initiatives in academic program development, accreditation, research infrastructure, and strategic planning. Dr. Harmanani has published extensively in the areas of design automation and optimization techniques for hardware–software systems, and he has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate research projects in computing and data-driven systems.
Dr. Sandra Rizk Lebanese American University [biography]

Sandra Rizk is Professor of Biology and Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the Lebanese American University. She earned her PhD in 2000 from the Institute of Biomedical Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, UK. She joined LAU in 2004 and has held several academic leadership roles, including Assistant Dean and Director of the Honors Program and the Freshman Arts and Sciences Programs. She is also the founding director of the LAU Honors Program, the first program of its kind in the MENA region. Her research spans intracellular trafficking and cancer chemoprevention, and she has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate research projects in molecular and cellular biology, with a particular focus on cancer-related research.
Dr. George E Nasr Lebanese American University [biography]

Dr. George E. Nasr has been Provost at the Lebanese American University (LAU) since 2018, following his tenure as Dean of the LAU School of Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and has published extensively on energy modeling and engineering education. He is an active member of IEEE and ASEE and serves on various international educational committees.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026

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