Undergraduate Research Opportunities Database
Our database is a great resource in helping students find exciting undergraduate research opportunities at Penn State.
To get the best results, we recommend that you select all of the research areas that interest you. We also recommend that you conduct multiple searches.
Campus – Select the campus(es) where you would be interested in participating in research. Depending on the time of year when you are using the database, consider whether your location changes. For example, do you spend your summers closer to a different campus than where you regularly attend school?
Research Area – Select the area(s) of research that interest you most, keeping in mind that research is often interdisciplinary so it might be appropriate to select more than one area. For example, if you are interested in health you might want to search for opportunities in the physical sciences, life sciences, and nursing and health sciences, because these research areas could all be relevant to your interest in health.
Position Type – Select the position type(s) that are most appealing to you. If you prefer whether you earn credit versus being paid, be sure to narrow down the search results using this field.
- “Work Study” is only available to students who have received a federal work-study (FWS) award. You can verify if you have an FWS award by visiting LionPATH and reviewing your "Financial Aid Summary.” If you do not have a federal work-study award, your mentor can also inquire with the Office of Student Aid - 814-865-6301 - to determine if you are eligible to be awarded one.
Mentors interested in creating an account or posting an opportunity should visit the Posting Undergraduate Research Opportunities section.
| Title | Description | Research Area(s) | Position Type(s) | Work Setting(s) | Updated Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science of Agar Art: Bringing Science and Art Together |
Agar Art has become a more popular area of microbiology over the last few years with increasing attention from the American Society of Microbiology's annual competition highlighting the beautiful effects that this media can illicit using organism. Agar Art utilizes microorganisms placed on a medium called agar to create imagery that can change based on environmental and chemical exposures. Modifications to media and even the organisms can completely change an image's appearance. This experience would explore changes we can make to standard media to see the adaptive changes the organisms undergo. Students will design an image that can be tracked over time and with our different changes. |
Any |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
January 8, 2025 |
| Bacteriophage Discovery: Finding Diamonds from the Dust |
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. These viruses generally kill their hosts, which can provide a potential source of future medical treatments. In fact, phage therapy was developed before our expansion of antibiotic treatments and exists as a tailored treatment set for specific infections. The aim of this work is to continue to find new phages and test their host ranges. |
Any |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
January 8, 2025 |
| Bioinformatics of Fruit Fly Genomes |
Understanding the location and functions of genes within an organism's genome is useful for scientists to learn more about the relationship between organisms. We look at several features of fruit fly genomes as part of the Genomics Education Partnership. We use online software to make judgements about start and stop sites on exons within the genomes. Students can participate remotely, though sessions with the PI are needed for training and initial workthroughs. |
Life Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus, Remote |
January 8, 2025 |
| Soil Microbes and Antimicrobials |
In this project, participants will be working as part of the crowdsourcing activities of an international group of scientists working with students to find the next generation of antimicrobial agents from soils in our own backyards or campuses. Students will gather soil samples, perform testing on that soil for environmental recording, and then plate the soil samples to obtain specimens. We examine the specimens for potential antimicrobial activity and then test against known specimens to further characterize their activity. As much of this work needs to occur in our laboratory at Penn State Schuylkill, participants in this region of the state are highly encouraged to join. |
Life Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
January 8, 2025 |
| Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) |
Penn State Schuylkill is part of this international effort to perform environmental monitoring and to help maintain data for our region. In this project, participants will be trained to record data at a site (which can be set up throughout the state so it is more accessible for students and can be in coordination with local groups). The data is then provided to the mentor for a check before being uploaded to the database system. Some measurements are recorded daily while others using basic equipment can be performed on a yearly/semiannual basis. Even though we are based in Schuylkill County, many measurements can be taken anywhere with minimal training and for specialized projects, we can (in most cases within the state of Pennsylvania) make arrangements to perform the testing ... |
Environmental and Geosciences, Life Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
Hybrid, On campus, Remote |
January 8, 2025 |
| Research Assistant for the Cognitive Neuroscience of Eating and Obesity (CogNEATO) lab. |
Children from rural communities are at greater risk for obesity than children from more urban communities. However, some children are resilient to obesity despite greater exposure to obesogenic influences in rural communities (e.g., fewer community-level physical activity or healthy eating resources). We have two active projects looking to better understand pediatric obesity: 1) Study of Brain, Reward, and Kids' Eating (BRAKE): Identifying modifiable behavior factors that promote this resiliency could inform strength-based obesity prevention efforts. Eating habits are learned through reinforcement (e.g., hedonic, familial environment), the process through which environmental food cues become valued and influence behavior. Therefore, understanding individual differences in... |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Variable |
On campus |
January 8, 2025 |
| The Role of Cognitive and Mathematical Structures in Problem Solving Process |
Our research group is interested in studying the cognitive role of mathematical aesthetics and strategic choices of problem solving solution methods and the relational role of item discrimination and difficulty. We examine how problem solvers’ behavior might be affected or altered by elementary modifications of problem structures. This research position is open to undergraduate and graduate students. |
Education, Mathematics, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Statistics |
Paid, Volunteer, Work Study |
Hybrid, On campus, Remote |
January 8, 2025 |
| Dynamics of Plant Cell Walls |
Research opportunities are available in the Anderson Lab in the Department of BIology to study the dynamics of plant cell walls, with applicability to the sustainable production of food, materials, and bioenergy from plants. Our group uses a combination of molecular genetics, microscopy, and biochemistry to study how plants assemble, modify, and degrade their cell walls. |
Life Sciences |
Credit |
On campus |
January 8, 2025 |
| PlantVillage Undergraduate Research Opportunity |
In 2021, 235 million people were marching to starvation, according to the United Nations, made worse by climate change & COVID-19. In 2022, the situation is continuing to deteriorate due to climate change. PlantVillage utilizes technology to help smallholder farmers grow more food in the face of climate change. With the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, we are working across 70 countries and 30 languages. We train AI systems that help farmers adapt. We are looking for students to help make these systems even more powerful. |
Any |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus, Remote |
January 8, 2025 |
| Polyelectrolyte Solution Rheology |
Chemists who synthesize ion-containing polymers must grapple with a severe hindrance – that of accurately measuring the molecular weight of their products. The lack of generally effective methods for determining this fundamental quantity retards research on ionic polymers, which find uses in water purification, energy conversion and storage, massive industrial scale electrolysis and other molecular separations. We are developing four methods that utilize easily measured dynamic properties of semidilute unentangled solutions of ionic polymers to obtain the number-average molecular weight Mn. Each method relies on specific combinations of calibrated measurements so that each method directly determines the number density of chains in solution and thus Mn. These... |
Engineering |
Volunteer |
On campus |
January 8, 2025 |