JOHNSON CITY – (August 26, 2020) Dr. Trena Paulus has been named director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities for East Tennessee State University’s Honors College.
Paulus currently holds a research faculty appointment at the Quillen College of Medicine and is an affiliate faculty member with ETSU’s Applied Social Research Laboratory (ASRL).
In her new role, she will promote and increase the visibility of research efforts being made by ETSU undergraduate students and also create new opportunities for more students and faculty to work together.
“We want to get undergraduates engaged in research earlier in their university experience, possibly within their freshman year,” Paulus said. “There are excellent researchers across the ETSU campus, and our goal is to help match more of our students with these faculty who can help mentor them as young scientists.”
Paulus is also interested in bringing more awareness to research opportunities within the health sciences and social sciences arena. Though her administrative appointment is through the ETSU Honors College, Paulus will work with all undergraduate students. She is eager to hear from faculty as well who are seeking collaborative research opportunities with students.
“Dr. Paulus is a highly respected researcher who has a passion for inspiring upcoming generations of scientists,” said Dr. Chris Keller, Dean of the Honors College. “Not only will our students in the Honors College greatly benefit from her mentorship, but she will be available to work with any ETSU undergraduate who wants research to be part of their undergraduate education.”
Paulus joined the ETSU faculty in 2019. Prior to that, she spent five years at the University of Georgia as a professor of qualitative research methods.
She replaces Dr. Richard Ignace, a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who has stepped down to devote more time to his teaching and research activities.
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