What is Undergraduate Research?
Undergraduate research is your chance to explore questions that matter to you and to create new knowledge along the way. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) defines undergraduate research as an investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduate students that makes an original intellectual, scholarly, or artistic contribution to a field.
At Penn State Altoona, undergraduate research is about curiosity, discovery, and hands-on learning. As a student researcher, you’ll work closely with a faculty mentor to dive deeper into a topic you care about, whether that means conducting experiments, analyzing data, creating original scholarship, or producing creative work.
No experience required. Undergraduate research at Penn State Altoona is open to any student, any major, and any year.
Why Do Undergraduate Research?
Undergraduate research lets you go beyond the classroom and explore questions that matter to you. You’ll gain hands-on experience, work closely with faculty mentors, collaborate with other students, and build skills that prepare you for careers, graduate school, and life after Penn State.
Getting Started
Undergraduates are at the heart of innovative research and creative work at Penn State Altoona. There are many ways to get involved, and students often participate in more than one experience, including:
- Independent research and creative activity projects
- Internships, work study opportunities, and the College 2 Career program
- Honors options and course-based research experiences
- Study Away and Service Learning experiences
Get Connected
Want to know what research opportunities are coming up? Join the Undergraduate Research student email listserv and check out the monthly Undergraduate Research Newsletter for events, funding opportunities, and ways to get involved.
To be added to the list or to learn more, contact Lisa Emili, Director of Honors and Undergraduate Research, at [email protected].
