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Office of Undergraduate Research

Explore Different Forms of Research

Research occurs in all fields (including the Arts, Business/Management, Humanities, and Social Sciences), but can look very different from one pursuit to the next. Look through the different forms of research below to see a variety of examples. We also recommend considering how your interests overlap with other fields—students can do research outside their major or college.

Your Imagination is the Limit

Laboratory Research

E.g. Analyze human or animal behavior in a controlled environment; develop new, environmentally friendly dyes for fabrics; study the genetic differences/similarities of different organisms; test different materials’ strengths; measure sound production/quality of new instrument or speaker designs

Library/Museum Research

E.g. Compare and contrast different cultures; uncover how certain artifacts were made; study how a process/procedure, culture, or language developed; improve methods of protecting artwork and artifacts from degradation; draft communication strategies to engage users

Computational Research

E.g. Explore impacts of social media on language use; build a model predicting market trends, ecosystem dynamics, or weather patterns; develop new programming to optimize search functions; create and test new learning modules using AI; map data to geological areas; processes large sets of genomic data

Field & Water Research

E.g. Explore how to grow more crops with less land and resources; investigate human-ecosystem interactions; document natural phenomena in different environments; measure air and water quality over time; study animal behavior in native environments; develop interventions to stop the spread of invasive species

Interview/Survey Research

E.g. Capture the experiences of a population during a given event; conduct focus group discussions for market research on a product or for education research on a new teaching technique; conduct interviews of clinical trial patients to evaluate treatment paths; collect and analyze user experiences with software or products

Machine Shops & Art Studios

E.g. Create a performance or art piece to convey a message; design a new space for people to engage with; craft a product for an entrepreneurship idea; create a more fuel-efficient engine or a device to capture wave energy to then test later for function and efficacy

Diagnostics & New Technology

E.g. Create a more effective process to detect drugs or explosives; optimize the growth of cells needed for 3D organ printing; design a new method of storing solar energy; devise an improved system for recycling of mixed waste materials; design a faster processor

Reading/Writing & Interrupting

E.g. Investigative journalism; craft a literature review on a topic; compare/contrast past studies; document the development of an idea or technique adding your own critiques and recommendations; conduct a meta-analysis of data from multiple studies

Want more examples?

Browse through our abstract books—collections of short summaries describing recent/current undergraduate research projects. With these, you can brainstorm what kind of research project you might like to do.

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