Undergraduate Research Stories

When the health and safety response to the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Department of Theatre’s entire 2020-2021 production season to be canceled, students were invited to audition for a series of experimental, devised, and novel theatre projects all rooted in topics around DEI.

In 1975, Utah State University funded the first Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunity (URCO) grant, and in doing so became only the second institution to fund undergraduate research in a deliberate and dedicated way. In February 2021, our 45-year dedication to undergraduate research was recognized by the Council on Undergraduate Research as the best in the nation. In this episode of Instead, we give you a sneak peek into why this program is so important to who we are as a university.

When watching a production, a vital source—the dramaturg—is often overlooked. It’s the person who researches the history of the roles and setting, adapts the scripts and consults with everyone involved, so the production is on point. Senior Sachen Pillay is an integral member of Georgia College’s production team.

Keeping undergraduate students engaged and energized in ongoing research teams is an activity made more challenging by the need to meet exclusively online. Dr. Nathaniel Stern, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a dual appointment in Art and Mechanical Engineering, shared his experience working with online teams at a recent gathering of the Wisconsin Council on Undergraduate Research (WisCUR). Afterward, CURAH caught up with Dr. Stern to hear a bit more.

The CREATE! Micro-Grant Program supported the launch of 12 student projects that analyze and respond to racial injustice and the struggles brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These projects, ranging from interpretive dance and musical performances to traditional Anishinaabe quill work, videos, podcasts, personal essays, and poetry.

Train cars in Connecticut may be modified for safer travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the work of two Yale undergraduate students in the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering.​

When biology major Anh Phan ’21 was a sophomore at the College of the Holy Cross, she was looking for “a way to apply my knowledge to real-life science,” and Professor Robert Bellin’s breast cancer research lab proved to be the perfect fit. Bellin is using an innovative device, a chip the size of a postage stamp, to create 3-D models that replicate the environment in a mammary gland, where breast cancer tumors can form.

A University of Louisville student group is launching a peer-reviewed journal to highlight undergraduate research and scholarship across all disciplines, from astrophysics to art history.

Tessa Jennings found a passion for plant sciences as a high school FFA student participating in career development events. That passion has continued to grow as a student at the University of Missouri – especially after being selected as a member of the Freshman Research in Plants (FRIPS) Program in 2018.