Social Science Research Lab

Goals and Services

Our Mission:

To use interdisciplinary research to promote economic development in Louisiana

To combine the talents of faculty, staff, students, and alumni of ULM in order to provide services to the region

To give ULM students valuable, real-life experience in their chosen field of study

To provide internship and/or volunteer opportunities for our students

Since the research we conduct directly impacts the local economy, our students will serve as a working example that there are meaningful career opportunities in research and development locally, nationally, and internationally.

Goals of the SSRL:

To encourage students to consider careers in research and development (R&D)

To develop a team of interdisciplinary research fellows who, in conjunction with efforts from our students and others, can provide R&D services for our greater business community

To educate and train students on how to conduct research, where local and non-local internships augment this service-learning experience

To incorporate an intergenerational approach to service learning, where all members of the community become educated and involved in R&D

To encourage local entrepreneurs to invest in R&D, and augment these efforts by encouraging non-local entrepreneurs to invest in R&D on Louisiana’s northern frontier

To assist undergraduate and graduate students with R&D background to obtain meaningful and lucrative jobs in the region first, and then eventually, on the national scale

To provide basic and advanced research training to members of our community (i.e., lawyers, public officials, policy)

To develop community partnerships to strengthen the interest in R&D through service-learning applications

Our Services:

The SSRL offers several services and projects to help evaluate businesses, non-profit organizations, or governmental agencies. These services include:

• Measurement (including reliability and validity studies)
• Research Design
• Data Collection and Management:

Surveys
Interviews
Focus Groups
Controlled Experiments
Analysis (Quantitative and Qualitative)