SPRING 2017 • Volume 37, Number 3 Council on Undergraduate Research 18 John E. Banks and Juan José Gutiérrez, California State University, Monterey Bay Undergraduate Research in International Settings: Synergies in Stacked High-Impact Practices Abstract Research suggests that engaging undergraduates in authen- tic research experiences is a high-impact practice that can transform the undergraduate experience and set students on a track for success in their academic trajectory and beyond. Global learning and international experiences can similarly transform undergraduate education. This article explores two high-impact international and service-learning opportunities offered to undergraduate students, their outcomes, and the powerful combination (or “stacking”) of these two practices. Examples are discussed from study abroad programs in the natural and social sciences that infuse rigorous, authentic undergraduate research experiences as well as synergies that can occur when undergraduates engage in research in an in- ternational setting. Interactions between these experiences and specific disciplines as well as commonalities among un- dergraduate research and international experiences may pay dividends for programs that combine such areas. Keywords: globalization, high-impact practices, science, service learning, social science, study abroad, undergraduate research Introduction: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Research and International Service Learning Engaging undergraduate students in high-impact practices (HIPs) such as research and service learning is now a widely accepted and implemented strategy aimed at improving ac- ademic and developmental outcomes (Kuh 2008; Waiwaiole et al. 2016). We know less, however, about the potential for enhancing the positive outcomes typical of these types of HIPs by carrying them out in international settings. This ar- ticle explores the potential for combining HIPs in an interna- tional setting, focusing on international research experiences in the natural and social sciences. Possible synergies are dis- cussed and ways are suggested in which the effectiveness of these types of engagement practices can be bolstered, with special reference to cultures of research on home campuses. To explore these ideas, two case studies are offered from study abroad programs grounded in rigorous, authentic un- dergraduate research experiences, discussing synergies that may occur between an international study experience and undergraduate research. These programs, which are centered on the natural and social sciences, combine HIPs in several ways. Furthermore, possible interactions between these ex- periences and specific disciplines are explored. Engagement in undergraduate research is still overwhelmingly skewed to- ward the natural sciences with some studies indicating that undergraduates engage in natural sciences research three times as much as they engage in social science research (Bow- man and Jennings 2005). Research experiences conducted in international settings may be a way forward to offset such imbalances, and the powerful applied context of many in- ternational research projects may help to level the playing field among disciplines (Eagan et al. 2011; Healey and Jen- kins 2009). The Challenges and Promise of Stacking High-Impact Practices Increasing evidence from higher education research sug- gests that engaging undergraduates in authentic research experiences is a highly effective HIP that can transform the undergraduate experience and set students on a track for success in their academic trajectory and beyond (Kinkead 2003; Salazar 2013). However, a significant challenge is the investment in the creation, development, and consolidation of programs and opportunities for research that are framed both in sound disciplinary grounds and in training practices that are compatible with the level of maturity and experience of undergraduate students. Here these issues are explored in two ongoing international experiences led by the authors in different disciplinary realms at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). A suite of recent studies have identified and explored trans- formative practices that are highly effective and powerful en- ablers of successful undergraduate experiences. Kuh (2008) describes high-impact educational practices as those that enable students to not only earn higher grades but also to retain, integrate, and transfer newly gained skills and com- petencies at comparatively high rates. High-impact practices include first-year seminars, learning communities with com- mon courses, writing-intensive courses, internships, and cap- stone projects and courses. Discussed here are three more: undergraduate research, global learning, and service learning. Undergraduate research is a high-impact practice that argu- ably presents universities with challenges as well as oppor- tunities, as it requires campus-wide cultural and structural support. Bolstered by decades of renewed focus on active learning and “discovery guided by mentoring” (Boyer Com- CUR Focus