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MargaretResearch Seedbed in Software Engineering

An extracurricular space at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, part of the ColSWE research group, where faculty members and undergraduate and graduate students from the Faculty of Engineering get started in software engineering research: reading, discussing and learning by doing.

Director Jeisson Andrés Vergara Vargas Jeisson Andrés Vergara Vargas
Margaret Research Seedbed logo
About

Margaret is a research seedbed ("semillero de investigación") at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, part of ColSWE (Software Engineering Research Group). It brings together faculty members and undergraduate and graduate students from the Faculty of Engineering who want to get started in software engineering research.

The seedbed works on an extracurricular basis, through reading and discussing scientific literature and through mini-projects guided by faculty members.

Software engineering is an empirical and ever-changing discipline: designing, building and maintaining complex systems that constantly evolve — and the human factor behind them — raises open questions that a course syllabus cannot answer. Margaret offers a space, with faculty mentoring and without the pressure of grades, to practice what is rarely taught in the classroom: reviewing the literature, formulating research questions, designing studies and communicating results.

Central question

How can a research seedbed spark the curiosity of undergraduate students and bring them closer to software engineering research, so that they learn by doing and their projects contribute to the research lines of ColSWE

How we work

A semester cycle in three components

The seedbed is organized in semester cycles. Each cycle goes through three components, and what is learned in one feeds the next.

1

Training

Biweekly reading and discussion sessions on scientific literature in software engineering, and workshops on research methods: literature review, question formulation, empirical study design and academic writing.

2

Practice

In small teams and mentored by a faculty member, members formulate and carry out mini-projects within the research lines of ColSWE, with short deliverables and periodic progress reviews.

3

Dissemination and documentation

Results are documented in technical reports or posters, presented at research seedbed meetings and academic events, and the materials are published in the seedbed's open repository.

Objectives

General objectiveTo foster the initiation of undergraduate students from the Faculty of Engineering into software engineering research, through an extracurricular space for training and collaborative work with faculty members and graduate students, aligned with the research lines of the ColSWE group.

  1. Train members in the fundamentals of software engineering research (critical reading, question formulation and study design) through regular reading and discussion sessions.
  2. Connect students with the research lines of ColSWE through mini-projects guided by a faculty mentor.
  3. Disseminate the results of the seedbed's work in academic venues.
  4. Strengthen skills in collaborative work, scientific communication and good research practices, such as reproducibility and open science.
  5. Consolidate the seedbed as an entry point to ColSWE and a link with the researchers and projects the group develops.
Connection with ColSWE

The group's space for getting started in research

Margaret is organized around the research lines of ColSWE. The connection takes three forms:

Mini-projects within the lines

Students' mini-projects are formulated within the research lines of ColSWE and are mentored by faculty members of the group.

The group's readings and projects

Members take part in the readings and discussions of ColSWE and learn about its projects, so they can join them.

A renewal channel

The seedbed trains future research assistants, undergraduate and graduate thesis students, and new members of the group.

Want to join Margaret?

We are always open to new members. If you are a student at the Faculty of Engineering and are interested in software engineering research, write to us.

Write to us