Undergraduate Research

• Which classes or topics are your favorites?
• What problem do you want to learn more about?
• What are specific skills you would like to develop?
• CUR Getting Started page

• Engineering Research Page
• Departmental Research pages
  • Aerospace
  • Civil, Environmental, and Architectural
  • Bioengineering
  • Chemical and Petroleum
  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
  • Engineering Physics
  • Mechanical
• Engineering Research Centers
  • Bioengineering Research Center
  • Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis
  • NSF Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets
  • Information and Telecommunication Technology Center

• Explore the website of the lab(s) you’re interested in.
• Read some recent and related publications from the lab(s).
  • How to Read a Research Article

• Explain that you’ve read about their research and are interested in learning about opportunities to pursue research alongside them.
• Remember, some faculty will not have availability to take on a new student at the moment you contact them.
• Keep reaching out to other faculty members or checking back in at different points in time if you aren’t successful with your first try.
  • How to Find a Mentor
• Remember to practice good email etiquette when emailing faculty!
  • How to email a mentor
• Engineering Graduate Ambassadors are also a great resource to reach out to for more information about participating in research, graduate school, and more!

• Apply for an Honors Opportunity Awards and explore other Honors Resources:
  • Research Opportunities and Information
  • Apply for an Honors Opportunity Award
• Check out Undergraduate Research Awards, Student Travel Awards, and other Center for Undergraduate Research Resources:
  • Center for Undergraduate Research Information
  • Join the Center for Undergraduate Research Mailing List
  • Apply for an Undergraduate Research Award
  • Apply for a Student Travel Award
• Many organizations may have resources to help connect you to research at KU or opportunities to present at their national or regional conferences!
  • Engineering Student Organizations
• Opportunities to present your research:
  • Apply to present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium
  • Share your research at the Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol
  • Publish your research in the KU Undergraduate Research Journal

Typically, a faculty member is the head of the lab with graduate students and postdocs working for them on individual or small-group projects. Often undergraduate students work alongside a graduate student or postdoc, assisting their project and learning research techniques. More experienced undergraduate students can sometimes take on a project of their own with oversight of a graduate student or postdoc.

Many faculty are open to students starting their first year, and others might want you to have taken a class before you get started. It’s always a good idea to talk to faculty members early so you know when would be a good time to get started. No matter when you start, the person you are working with will meet you where you’re at—most students don’t know a lot about research before they get started!

No, all students may participate in research regardless of if they are in the Honors Program.

Yes!

Maybe. This will depend on the lab and if the faculty has funding for an undergraduate researcher. There are also other ways to fund your research through places like the Honors Program or Center for Undergraduate Research.

Your weekly hours will depend on the lab and the project that you are working on. This is a good point to discuss with the graduate student or faculty member that

Yes, check out the Center for Undergraduate Research as well as conferences in your discipline.

• Yes, ask faculty if they have summer opportunities or look at national programs like the Research Experiences for Undergraduates through the National Science Foundation. Also, many universities offer their own summer research programs, so look at their engineering websites for opportunities.
• NSF REU Site