Undergraduate Research in Honors

About Undergraduate Research in Honors

Undergraduate research can be a transformative experience, valuable not only for graduate and professional school but for any career requiring initiative, independent thinking, and problem-solving skills.  Research fosters close working relationships between faculty and students and among research teams, and it offers students a window onto some of the most pressing challenges facing society today. 

The University Honors Program strongly encourages and supports research for Honors students.  We work with departments and colleges to offer Disciplinary Honors programs in a variety of fields, including Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Exercise Physiology, Humanities, Physics, Psychology, and Nursing. 

Every summer we offer competitive Undergraduate Research Fellowships for research performed under the guidance of faculty mentors.  Proposal deadlines are in March; both Core and Disciplinary Honors students are eligible. View the most recent call for proposals. We showcase Honors research at the Honors Undergraduate Research Symposium in November. 

Current Application Cycle: Summer 2023
Applications Due: March 22, 2023 | 5:00 PM

MU Honors will award 20 undergraduate summer fellowships to Honors students, in the amount of $3500 each, on a competitive basis for research or creative projects to be carried out June-August 2023. For detailed application instructions, view the call for proposals.

Honors will hold two information sessions in the Honors Suite (Sensenbrenner 002) about the research awards. You’re welcome to bring any kind of question, from general to very detailed. Please sign up to attend an information session:

  • Friday, February 24, 2023 at 12:00pm
  • Monday, February 27 at 5:00pm 

Past fellowship winners and projects:

2023      2022       2021       2020       2019       2018      2017               


 

Some samples of Honors research projects in summer 2018:

  • Voodoo and African-American Female Practitioners in New Orleans, Corrine Conway, Anthropology
  • Using Brain Stimulation to Prevent Opioid Relapse, Megan Matre, Biomedical Sciences
  • The Role of lin-15B on the Expression of Germline Gene LIN-35 in C. elegans, Carlos Gonzalez, Biomedical Engineering
  • A Microhistory of County Laois, 1916-1923, Andrew Himmelberg, History
  • Wisconsin Statewide Assessment of Staphylococcus aureus Antibiotic Resistance Patterns, Rebecca Schulte, Clinical Laboratory Sciences
  • Historical Fiction in the Twenty-First Century: Ethics, Origins, and Responsibilities, Katherine Stein, English

Andi Sirokman and Emma Baumgardt discuss their summer research project on gender and undergraduate residence life.

Jack Hodes explains his research on stress, suffering, and the resilience of undocumented immigrants.