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Undergraduate research and fellowships can expand your personal and professional growth in ways you may have never imagined.

Start your exploration today.

Search
research opportunities

Use our database to find research opportunities at Penn State.

Schedule an
appointment with staff

We can help you refine your career goals and determine what opportunities best match your interests.

Search major
fellowship opportunities

Learn about the major fellowship opportunities we support.

Get Inspired by Student Stories

Jacob Cordell

Jacob Cordell ’17

Majors in Material Sciences and Engineering, German

Applying for the Astronaut Scholarship forced me to take new perspectives on my research and where it fits in a national and global context. Besides boosting confidence in my work, the scholarship convinced me to pursue more fellowships and opened my career options.

Molly  Ariotti

Molly Ariotti ’18

Ph.D. in Political Science

As a fellow I am working on my dissertation research and also using the Senegalese National Archives to help me understand the colonial origins of the present-day bureaucracy. I hope to learn more about the ways in which the bureaucracy can shape public policy, and how the bureaucracy’s interactions with citizens help government stability and development.

Lucy Spicher, right, is pictured with a Kenyan occupational therapist.

Lucy Spicher ’21

Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering

Without URFM and the Spark Program, I wouldn’t have understood the full range of opportunities available to me as a Penn State student. I feel that I’ve truly made the most of my time here, and I can’t wait to see where my education will take me.

Tim Benally

Tim Benally ’21

Psychology

Studying psychology already holds extra incentive for me with my Christian faith and the Navajo teachings of Hózhó (reverence for the beauty in everything on earth), which have taught me the value of human connectedness, spreading hope and finding meaning in life.

Madison Taylor

Madison Taylor ’18

Major in Biology, minor in Global Health

After spending a whole summer working on my essays, I walked into that interview only to have the panel tell me the essays didn’t sound like me or capture who I was in person. I was discouraged to hear this, but with only a week until the application was due, I sold my football ticket for that weekend and sat in a coffee shop all day on Saturday, re-writing my essays, this time from the heart. It turned out to be worth my time, because I ended up getting the fellowship many months later!

Kaleigh Quinnan

Kaleigh Quinnan ’21

Art, French Business

The semester in Paris was way outside my comfort zone, but it gave me the confidence to pursue whatever opportunities become available in any corner of the world. I plan to apply for everything I can and see what doors open up.

Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring Office
321 Boucke Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-8199 | urfm@psu.edu

       
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