Undergraduate Research

Very early in life we go through a stage where we are always asking the adults around us a seemingly simple question: why?

If you still like to ask the questions why, how and what if, you may be interested in pursuing research. You don’t have to wait for graduate school. There are opportunities for undergraduates to collaborate with faculty on research, scholarly or creative activities.

How could you do this? Take courses that interest you. Talk to your professors about the books they've written or their creative works and ask what they are working on currently. You may find a connection and a way to get involved.

When you do find a research project, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) can provide financial support such as a stipend or an expense allowance while you assist in a faculty member’s scholarship or carry out your own project under a faculty member’s supervision.

Would you like to learn more? Read about some CLA students and their research collaborations with CLA faculty:

Brewer and Wanyama: From Struggle into Song
Kela Wanyama, under the scholarly guidance of professor Rose Brewer, is delving into the music of black women’s resistance.

Truth and retelling: Whose History is it, Anyway?
Carly Beane, Kate Beane and Scott Shoemaker, collaborating with American studies professor Brenda Child, are leading a dialogue about how American Indian history in Minnesota is told.

Coming to Their Census: The Urbanization of Rural Minnesota
Richard Nicholson worked with geographer John Adams to delve into census data on the changing relationships between urban centers and surrounding populations.

Smith & Rabinowitz: Minding the gaps
Tara Smith worked with English professor Paula Rabinowitz to research the work of the poet Ai and publish her discoveries to the innovative website, Voices from the Gaps.