Research is for Everyone! (Yes, You!)
As an undergraduate student at Washington State University, you're well positioned to participate in academic research. You may have an idea you would like to test. Or have wondered what it would be like to write a play. Or you may already be on a professor's team.
With a faculty member as a mentor, your research will help you build new skills and create new knowledge that are as unique as you are!
What is "research?"
When we say "research," we don't mean just activities conducted in labcoats. It's much broader than that. It's "research, scholarship, and creative activity." And it happens any time you are working with faculty to ...
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create,
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design, or
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discover.
In general, research projects and activities need to have four components ...
- mentorship (be supervised by a faculty member)
- originality (have a novel component with meaningful contribution from the student)
- acceptability (employ techniques or methods that are appropriate for the discipline)
- dissemination (have a plan to share the results with the broader field and the community)
In what fields can I create, design, or discover?
You have--or can create--opportunities to work with world-class faculty in fields ranging from agriculture to zoology, and from English to engineering. In other words, every field is open to you as an undergraduate researcher.
What are my investments and rewards?
Your time and creativity are your main investments. The rewards have both short and long term payoffs. Not only will you develop as a critical thinker who is able to solve complex problems, but you will build your resume in ways you might not imagine. Some undergraduate researchers work as volunteers on projects, but many are paid. And all are eligible for several scholarships, fellowships, and summer internship programs, on the WSU campus, around the nation, and throughout the world.
How do I get started as an undergraduate researcher?
With a little planning and ingenuity, the path to becoming a researcher is pretty straightforward. It's the journey of a lifetime.
