diff --git a/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.controller.js b/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.controller.js
index 15bacbfa..acc32a3e 100644
--- a/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.controller.js
+++ b/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.controller.js
@@ -4,11 +4,12 @@
   angular.module('app.root')
     .controller('RootCtrl', RootCtrl);
 
-  RootCtrl.$inject = ['messageBoardService'];
+  RootCtrl.$inject = ['$state', 'messageBoardService'];
 
-  function RootCtrl(messageBoardService) {
+  function RootCtrl($state, messageBoardService) {
     var ctrl = this;
     angular.extend(ctrl, {
+      currentState: $state.current.name,
       messageBoardService: messageBoardService
     });
   }
diff --git a/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.html b/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.html
index 4f395ce3..751c0094 100644
--- a/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.html
+++ b/app/templates/ui/app/root/root.html
@@ -6,13 +6,17 @@
       <span class="icon-bar"></span>
       <span class="icon-bar"></span>
     </button>
+    <!-- not using ui-sref here on purpose -->
     <a class="navbar-brand" href="/"><h1 id="logo">Sample App</h1></a>
   </div>
   <div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="bs-example-navbar-collapse-1">
     <ul class="nav navbar-nav">
-      <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
-      <li><a href="/search">Search</a></li>
-      <li><a href="/create">Create</a></li>
+      <li><a ui-sref="root">Home</a></li>
+      <!-- flush search params when clicking Search when already on Search -->
+      <li ng-if="ctrl.currentState === 'root.search'"><a href="/search">Search</a></li>
+      <!-- preserve state when navigating back to Search from elsewhere -->
+      <li ng-if="ctrl.currentState !== 'root.search'"><a ui-sref="root.search">Search</a></li>
+      <li><a ui-sref="root.create">Create</a></li>
     </ul>
     <ml-user mode="inline"></ml-user>
   </div><!-- /.navbar-collapse -->
diff --git a/app/templates/ui/app/search/search.controller.js b/app/templates/ui/app/search/search.controller.js
index 6f1dfca0..2db528e0 100644
--- a/app/templates/ui/app/search/search.controller.js
+++ b/app/templates/ui/app/search/search.controller.js
@@ -3,21 +3,54 @@
   'use strict';
 
   angular.module('app.search')
+    .factory('SearchModel', SearchModel)
     .controller('SearchCtrl', SearchCtrl);
 
-  SearchCtrl.$inject = ['$scope', '$location', 'userService', 'MLSearchFactory'];
+  SearchModel.$inject = ['MLSearchFactory'];
+  SearchCtrl.$inject = ['$scope', '$location', 'userService', 'SearchModel'];
 
   // inherit from MLSearchController
   var superCtrl = MLSearchController.prototype;
   SearchCtrl.prototype = Object.create(superCtrl);
 
-  function SearchCtrl($scope, $location, userService, searchFactory) {
-    var ctrl = this;
+  function SearchModel(searchFactory) {
     var mlSearch = searchFactory.newContext();
+    return {
+      mlSearch: mlSearch,
+      response: null
+    };
+  }
+
+  function SearchCtrl($scope, $location, userService, searchModel) {
+    var ctrl = this;
+    var mlSearch = searchModel.mlSearch;
 
     superCtrl.constructor.call(ctrl, $scope, $location, mlSearch);
 
-    ctrl.init();
+    (function init() {
+      //do not inherit method on purpose due to if statement
+
+      // monitor URL params changes (forward/back, etc.)
+      ctrl.$scope.$on('$locationChangeSuccess', ctrl.locationChange.bind(ctrl));
+
+      // capture initial URL params in mlSearch and ctrl
+      if ( ctrl.parseExtraURLParams ) {
+        ctrl.parseExtraURLParams();
+      }
+
+      if (searchModel.response) {
+        ctrl.updateSearchResults(searchModel.response);
+        ctrl.updateURLParams();
+      } else {
+        ctrl.mlSearch.fromParams().then( ctrl._search.bind(ctrl) );
+      }
+    })();
+
+    ctrl.updateSearchResults = function updateSearchResults(data) {
+      superCtrl.updateSearchResults.apply(ctrl, arguments);
+      searchModel.response = data;
+      return this;
+    };
 
     ctrl.setSnippet = function(type) {
       mlSearch.setSnippet(type);