John R. Hoffman is a Professor of Biology, public speaker and a scientist examining the recovery of the nervous system after injury. Since 2006 he has written several unpublished manuscripts and he is currently working on the first Nathaniel Smythe novel and short story collection. He spends his spare time with his family and running.

Speaker

John Hoffman at the Research Expo 2012Dr. John R. Hoffman is a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research and was previously the Associate Dean for Research Scholarly, and Creative Activities at Arcadia University.  He has extensive experience as a mentor to undergraduate and graduate students conducting research in his own laboratory.  In addition, he continues to promote opportunities for students to complete discipline-specific scholarly works.  To support this initiative, Dr. Hoffman also serves as a mentor for faculty members interested in engaging undergraduate students in their scholarship.

Dr. Hoffman is available to give a number of invited non-scientific talks on a variety of topics including:

Rumplestiltskin’s Legacy: Spinning Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum: This interactive workshop examines specific learning objectives and outcomes associated with undergraduate research across the curriculum and explore successful strategies for integrating meaningful activities and assignments into individual department curricula.  Topics discussed include drafting assessment plans and national best practices.

Cost-Benefit Analysis to Undergraduate Research at a Small Comprehensive University. This seminar examines how supporting research by undergraduate students provides benefits that cannot be measured by simply looking at the economic costs. At small institutions with modest endowments that are dependent upon tuition income, there is increasing competition for limited resources. Administrative decisions are often made based on a simple cost-benefit analysis, resulting in the support of initiatives that have a high likelihood of a strong return on the amount invested in the project. Further, institutions of higher education are facing increased scrutiny and pressure to document student learning and achievement, traditionally measured by retention rates, graduation rates, and the number of students entering graduate programs. From a revenue-generation perspective then, undergraduate research may appear to be an unjustifiable cost. However, comprehensive consideration of the associated direct and indirect benefits of such research clearly shows the value of supporting a strong undergraduate research program.

Grant Writing 101: How to support your scholarship at a small  comprehensive university. This interactive workshop begins with a discussion of the mechanics of strong grant applications from the perspective of a writer seeking funds and a peer reviewer evaluating and ranking proposals.  Participants are encouraged to bring ideas of projects needing funding to use as examples in activities develop a focused outline for a grant proposal.

Research and Scholarship at a small comprehensive university. This facilitated discussion examines how faculty members can establish independent scholarly projects at institutions with limited resources and collaborators. The importance of scaling work from pilot projects into peer-reviewed presentations and publications and obtaining external grant support. Special attention is made toward involving undergraduate students in faculty-mentored experiences.