Undergraduate research doesn't just benefit students...

...It also benefits universities, and science knowledge in general. So say David Rovnyak and George Shields in an Inside Higher Ed article entitled, "How Undergraduate Research Drives Science Forward":

Some in the scientific community have a skeptical view of undergraduate research. They may not doubt the benefits it offers students, but for true scientific innovation, it’s best to leave that to the flagships.

Such biases could not be more misguided.

Focusing mainly on PUIs (Primarily Undergraduate Institutions), Rovnyak and Shields explore the advances made, and prejudices suffered, by undergraduate researchers.