RESEARCH
OUTREACH
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
The faculty and staff at Penn State Behrend are committed to making research a major component of the undergraduate educational experience.
Over the last several years, the college has
worked toward this end by developing funding and recognition programs
that enhance research opportunities at the undergraduate level. These
opportunities include an undergraduate research grant program, an
undergraduate student research award, an undergraduate research and
creative accomplishment conference, and a summer research fellowship
program. The college also supports undergraduate travel to attend
professional meetings. Annually, the college provides nearly $200,000
of support for undergraduate research.
What are the benefits of undergraduate research for students?
- Learn in depth about the latest technologies and information
- Work closely with scholars in your area of interest
- Gain hands-on experience of value to your future career
- Build stronger, lasting relationships with faculty members
- Gain skills and experiences that will help you gain admission to more prestigious graduate schools
- Share the excitement of making new discoveries, writing original prose or poetry, designing a new or improved product, or generating research outcomes that are actually used
- Opportunity to get published as an undergraduate
- Ability to earn money while conducting research
- Augments your critical thinking, leadership, and other skills
Deadlines
The deadlines vary for each type of research opportunity. Refer to the undergraduate student research deadlines for 2008-2009 for more information.
What programs are available?
The Behrend College Undergraduate Student Academic Year Research Grant Program and the Undergraduate Student Summer Research Fellowship.
These programs are designed to provide incentive for student involvement in faculty research projects. Each student is eligible for grants of $500 to $1,200. The students are required to go through a formal proposal process, including selection of a faculty mentor, development of a research project, composition of a formatted proposal, and a review process at the school and college level.
Updates
Academic Year Grants
Summer Research Fellowship
Behrend College Council of Fellows Undergraduate Student Research Award
This program recognizes students who have made research an integral part of their undergraduate education. Students are nominated from each of the college’s four schools. The nomination process and subsequent selection process provide feedback to the students regarding both the quantity and quality of their research efforts. Students receive cash awards of $200.
1999-2000 Award
2000-2001 Award
2001-2002 Award
2002-2003 Award
2003-2004 Award
2004-2005 Award
2005-2006 Award
2006-2007 Award
Penn State Behrend-Sigma Xi: Undergraduate
Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference
The purpose of the conference is to provide an opportunity for students to present their research and creative accomplishment results in a public setting. Students present their results either by poster or by oral presentation. Students from the other regional colleges and universities are also invited to participate.
The
2008 Conference
was a
success, with 101 posters and oral presentations involving
eighty-eight faculty members and
179 students; the participants represented ten colleges and
universities in northwestern Pennsylvania. The abstract book indicates
winners and runners-up for oral presentations and posters.
Abstract book for 2000, Ninth Annual Conference
Abstract book for 2001, Tenth Annual Conference
Abstract book for 2002, Eleventh Annual Conference
Abstract book for 2003, Twelfth Annual Conference - Photo Gallery
Abstract book for 2004, Thirteenth Annual Conference - Photo Gallery
Abstract book for 2005, Fourteenth Annual Conference
Abstract book for 2006, Fifteenth Annual Conference
Abstract book for 2007, Sixteenth Annual Conference
Abstract book for 2008, Seventeenth Annual Conference
The 2009 conference will be held April 18, 2009. A call for abstracts, with submission guidelines, will be issued.
Senior Projects
All senior students in the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology conduct team-oriented capstone design projects sponsored by industry. Students work in tandem with faculty and industrial representatives to formulate and implement solutions to an actual design or manufacturing problem.
Travel to Professional Meetings
The college, in conjunction with the University’s Office of Undergraduate Education and International Programs, will consider requests for student travel to present posters or oral presentations at professional meetings. Up to two-thirds of the costs are covered. Final approval is dependent on availability of funds. In 2004-2005, 120 students traveled to conferences with this support.
All requests for travel must be submitted via an Undergraduate Research Travel Request.
What are some of the results of undergraduate research?
Undergraduate students have presented over 300 papers at regional,
national, and international professional meetings and have published
more than fifty journal articles. In addition, since 1989, 50 percent of all student papers at the Annual Technical Meeting of the
Society of Plastics Engineers have been given by Penn State Behrend
students.
How do I get started?
If you think that you are interested in a particular
field of research study, talk to your advisor, one of your faculty
members, or the staff of the Dean’s Office. You can also find
out more about faculty research interests. They will help
you to identify faculty members who are conducting research or other
scholarly activity in your area of interest. The next step is for
you to meet with the specific faculty member to determine how to proceed,
including searching for funding; writing a proposal; determining if
the work will be done for credit, as an independent study or senior
project, or as a work-study activity.
Who administers undergraduate research?
The Penn State Behrend Undergraduate Research Program is administered by the Chancellor's Office. Funding is provided by the college and through private donations and endowments. For further information contact the college at 814-898-6160 or rwl2@psu.edu.