The University of Windsor’s annual Spring Open House event has a new element this year: Pathways to Undergraduate Research, a chance for students to learn about a distinctive range of research opportunities at the undergraduate level.

The project was initiated by the Outstanding Scholars Program, which is offered each fall to the top 100 students entering first-year studies directly from high school. The program challenges and stimulates students by providing them with unique opportunities for academic discovery.

During their first year of university study, Outstanding Scholars meet with mentors who prepare them to hold an academic appointment beginning in their second year. In second and subsequent years of study, the students work closely with faculty on research and other important academic projects.

For the first time, Spring Open House guests will have a chance to learn more about these opportunities by visiting six Pathways to Undergraduate Research stations located across campus. Visitors will receive a passport when they check in and can obtain a stamp at each of the stations, which feature displays of undergraduate research in science, engineering, and the arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as a research questions competition, and an Outstanding Scholars display.

Among the highlights of the research stations are a robotics display and images from a project on local history in collaboration with the Centre for Digital Scholarship.

The open house will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 5. For a full itinerary of activities, visit: www.uwindsor.ca/openhouse.