Undergraduate Research

In a world full of endless discoveries, discover your ideas at DSU

Our unique opportunities allow students to work with faculty to produce original contributions to the knowledge or activity of a particular academic discipline. Our mission is to establish services and programs that support students and faculty mentors in their pursuit of inquiry, creativity, scholarship, and research.

We encourage you to become involved in undergraduate research and scholarship, no matter what year you may be in your program. It takes time, effort, and collaboration to discover a research project, so the sooner you start the better! 

As a researcher, you’ll divulge in experiences that lead you to new knowledge, improve your ability to solve problems, think critically, result in new theory, create new art, or artistic performances. Faculty members are also at your service, as they will work closely with you or monitor your milestones throughout your research process.

Interested? We thought you might be!

To get started, follow these steps:

• Find a subject that interests you – was there anything in your classes that left you wanting more? Was there a topic you enjoyed learning about?
• Find a faculty mentor – make an appointment with faculty members and share your idea(s), prepare for your meeting by outlining your idea and your question, ask for advice and guidance
• Identify funding opportunities – brainstorm with your mentor to identify grants, awards, or scholarships that may benefit your project
• Develop a plan of action – including goals, steps, timelines, budgets, and objectives
• Attend the annual DSU Research Symposium – every March or April, we host a research fair; plan to attend or present
• Have fun! – your research is an invaluable investment in your education and future career. Having fun throughout the process will make it even more memorable

Expanding upon research

As a researcher, you can enhance your learning and critical thinking, develop an understanding of research methodology, improve collaborative working skills, explore and expand areas of interest, build communication skills, and develop other numerous skills that will play an important role in your career.

Every spring, we host the DSU Research Symposium. This allows students to share their discoveries and showcase their work through oral presentations, fine arts exhibits and performances, poster presentations, and more.

This event is an excellent way for students to sharpen their presentation skills and gain confidence.

Curious to see what a year looks like for Undergraduate Research? Check out these stories about our SRI Awardees.

SRI Awardees