Dr. Lisa Piazza
Dr. Lisa Piazza came to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2018 with a goal to help more students see themselves as researchers.
As executive director of the Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE), she works with students and faculty across campus to help more students find their way into research and creative work.
As a first-generation college student, Piazza learned much of higher education as she went, often with the help of mentors who took the time to guide her. That perspective carries over into her work at UTC, where she aims to make research feel approachable rather than intimidating.
What is your role at UTC, and what does URaCE do?
“Our office is a campus-wide office, and our services are open to students at all levels and in all disciplines. One of our biggest goals is creating awareness that research skills are job skills, because they really are.
“We support students who are already involved in research, but we also do a lot of preparatory work for students who are just getting started. Sometimes the biggest barrier is, ‘I don’t know anything about this’ or ‘I don’t know how to even begin.’ We have what we call research-adjacent activities that help students build confidence so they can have a really good conversation with faculty and say, ‘I could contribute to your project.’
“We also help send students to conferences, support students who are in the publishing phase, and offer grants through our office like the SEARCH Award. We host the Spring Research and Arts Conference, which is a UTC event but also open to the Chattanooga community. We really try to do a little bit of everything while helping students understand how important these experiences are, especially in a competitive job market.”
How did your own academic path influence the work you do now?
“I really didn’t know anything about college when I started. I went to a local community college where I’m from in Tampa and totally failed out. Four or five years later, after I had grown up a little, I went back and absolutely loved it.
“I had instructors who stayed after class and tutored me. That made a huge difference. I eventually transferred to the University of South Florida and studied art history. I thought I was going to do law at one point, but I landed in art history and had really wonderful mentors who told me, ‘You can go to graduate school for this.’ I honestly didn’t know that was an option.
“As an undergraduate, I was doing really intensive research without realizing that’s what it was. I worked with medieval manuscripts in special collections, had experts come in and critique our work, and helped produce an exhibition and catalog. When I got to graduate school, I was ready because I had already had that experience. That always stuck with me.”
When did undergraduate research become a focus for you professionally?
“I kind of fell into it. When I was working at USF, my boss was asked to reimagine the undergraduate research office there; I went with her and helped build that from the ground up. That experience showed me how powerful this work could be.
“When I was on the job market, I knew it was niche, but I also knew it was something I cared deeply about. When I came to UTC, I felt like I could really make a contribution. Faculty had been doing amazing research with students for years, but there was an opportunity to build more structure, programming and awareness. I love building things from scratch, and this felt like the right place to do that.”
How do students typically find their way to URaCE?
“A lot of it is word of mouth. Students hear about it from a friend who’s in a lab or who presented at a conference. We also do a lot of class visits, short presentations, workshops and one-on-one consultations.
“Students often come to us and say, ‘I don’t know anything about research. How do I get started?’ That’s one of our favorite conversations. We help them put together a plan, whether that’sreaching out to faculty, applying for summer REU programs or preparing a CV. If students come to a workshop, we’ll even help reach out to faculty on their behalf.”
Some students still think research only applies to science or medicine. How do you address that?
“That’s very much the culture and we work hard to push against that. Research happens in business, communications, the arts and humanities. We might use different language, but the process is still research.
“If you’re preparing for a job interview, you’re doing research on the company. Research skills are about critical thinking, creativity, time management and organization. Those are skills you can use anywhere. Our goal is to make the word ‘research’ less intimidating and more approachable.”
If you had unlimited resources, what would your dream research project be?
“I would want to work on something that helps people, whether that’s developing new medicine or finding ways to prolong life. If we had the knowledge and resources, why not try to cure things?
“I also love the idea of helping people bring ideas to life, whether that’s starting a business or creating something artistic. Giving people the support and information they need to be successful would be really exciting.”
What keeps you motivated in this work?
“Seeing students grow. Meeting them early on and then watching them present at a national conference, publish their work or become a co-author on a paper is amazing.
“That’s why I do what I do. Helping students get to that point is incredibly meaningful.”
Learn more
UTC Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor (URaCE)
