Director of Undergraduate Programs: Dr. Roger Woodard
(woodard@stat.ncsu.edu)

The abbreviation VIGRE stands for vertical integration of research and education. The VIGRE program for undergraduates prepares academically strong juniors and seniors majoring in Statistics or Environmental Science with Statistics Concentration for graduate study in a quantitative field. It provides opportunities in undergraduate research, advanced coursework, and mentoring. The goals for undergraduate trainees are to expose them early in their education to the research culture and relevant practical problems, involve them in mentoring incoming students, and prepare them for successful graduate work in Statistics.

Highlights of undergraduate VIGRE activities:

• Undergraduate VIGRE trainees Kristin Chaudoir, Jera Mendenhall, and Leigh Ann Thomason founded the Department of Statistics Professional Mentoring Program, which pairs  statistics graduate and undergraduate statisticians in the community to learn about careers and the lives of professional statisticians.
• NCSU's Sports Statistics Blog was inspired by interest from undergraduate VIGRE trainee Justin Landwehr and is moderated by him.
• Undergraduate VIGRE trainees have presented research at undergraduate research conferences at NCSU, in Research Triangle Park, and around the country. They have shown their work at the Research in the Capitol conference for the NC General Assembly. A brief listing of research topics that undergraduate VIGRE students have studied in recent years:
• A new variation on a nonparametric sign test
• A method for estimating butterfly abundance
• Testing for a set of genetic markers
• Assessment of bird count sampling methods
• Modeling consumer purchase data
• What causes bankruptcy
• Changes in urban sprawl patterns
• Effects of organic farming on soil pathogens
• Water quality in NC watersheds
• Identifying sources of fine particulate matter air pollution
• Environmental toxic release trends
• Research mentors: Matt Alldredge (Zoology), Pam Arroway, Peter Bloomfield, Dennis Boos, Marcia Gumpertz, Bill Hunt, Sharon Lubkin, Sangkil Moon (Management), Mette Olufsen (Mathematics), Ken Pollock, Ted Simons (Zoology), Joel Trussell(ECE), Kimberly Weems, Bruce Weir, Roger Woodard
• Some of this research has been published in URJ - NCSU, the Undergraduate Research Journal of NCSU:
• Camalier, L., Yoshimoto, B., Stines, B. and W.F. Hunt. 2004. "Statistical method to corroborate VOC emission inventories using air quality data". 1(1):44-50.
• White, J.T. and W.R. Hunt Jr. 2005. "Local or regional? An examination of fine particulate matter air pollution in Hickory and Lexington, NC." 1(2):65-77.
• All undergraduate VIGRE trainees take advanced coursework such as mathematical analysis (MA425-5) and graduate courses in Mathematics and Statistics, such as graduate level mathematical statistics (ST521-2) and applied statistics (ST512R).
• Many VIGRE trainees have served as officers in the undergraduate Statistics Club, planning events such as visits to the Environmental Protection Agency and Glaxo-Smith-Kline.
• All undergraduate VIGRE trainees serve as mentors to incoming freshmen and transfer students, and participate in mentoring activities to facilitate interaction and build a statistics community at NCSU.

Undergraduate VIGRE trainees are selected competitively on academic performance. Applicants must demonstrate a strong commitment to the goals of the VIGRE program and should be seriously considering graduate work in Statistics. They must agree to participate in undergraduate research, actively participate in mentoring activities, and take advanced coursework in preparation for graduate studies. Normally 5 juniors are awarded VIGRE traineeships each year. The scholarship is renewable for a second year, without reapplying, provided that the student maintains full time status with first major in Statistics or Environmental Science with Statistics Concentration and a GPA of 3.5 or better. Scholarships are also awarded to seniors as space is available.