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.
Note: You may not receive academic credit and be paid for the same research experience in a given semester.
- “Variable” refers to situations where the position type is likely to change. For example, some mentors like to accept students on a volunteer basis and after a semester of working together will consider paying the student or offering course credit.
- “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.
Work Setting – Select the work setting(s) that works best with your schedule.
- “Variable” refers to situations where the work setting could change throughout the duration of the project or research. For example, some opportunities can start off in-person and be adapted to remote if circumstances were to require such a change.
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 | Posting Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Context and Development Lab (CDL) – Undergraduate Research Assistant position |
Research interests in the lab involve understanding how context shapes adolescents' development and how race, ethnicity, and other cultural attributes interact with contextual characteristics to influence adolescent outcomes. Past projects in the lab (FAN-C: Families, Adolescents, and Neighborhoods in Context; PLACES/LUGARES) have explored the roles of different contexts such as residential neighborhood, school, family, etc. on African American and Latino adolescent's academic outcomes, beliefs, and behavior. Our current projects are ENLACES/TIES, a collaborative project with Dr. Mayra Bamaca designed to explore family, peer, and neighborhood influences on youth behaviors, and a qualitative data analysis project analyzing parent and youth focus groups for major themes. ... |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Volunteer |
Variable |
November 17, 2022 | November 17, 2022 | |
| Media Representation Content Analysis |
About Me Leah Dajches (Ph.D., University of Arizona, 2022) is a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State working on the News Literacy Initiative in the Bellisario College of Communications. Her research focuses on media representation and effects as it relates to adolescent development and marginalized group experiences. In particular, Leah is interested to understand the role of entertainment media and fandom in various components of identity development. Her research has been published in top-tier journals such as Health Communication, Journal of Children and Media, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, and Psychology of Popular Media, among others. About the Project The Media... |
Communications and Journalism, Humanities, Life Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Volunteer |
Remote |
October 18, 2022 | August 30, 2022 | |
| Survey Research Center project support |
The Survey Research Center (SRC) provides high-quality, cost-effective survey research services to faculty around the University. The SRC is part of the Penn State Social Science Research Institute and supports interdisciplinary research that addresses critical human and social problems at the local, national, and international levels. For 20 years the SRC has played a central role in data collection efforts with Penn State faculty, research scientists, and graduate students. In any given year, the SRC supports over 50 projects from across the university and larger research community. Services range from developing, designing, conducting and evaluating scientific surveys of the general public, to targeting specific populations such as high school students, business managers, cancer... |
Any |
Paid |
On campus |
October 10, 2022 | October 10, 2022 | |
| Pennsylvanian's Engagement in Interactive Online Gaming |
The Survey Research Center is collecting data for the Pennsylvania Interactive, Online Gaming Annual Study, a state-wide study to assess impacts of online gambling in Pennsylvania. The study is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. It has been designed to provide accurate, reliable, and representative data on Pennsylvanian's interactive online gaming engagement. Residents across Pennsylvania (PA) have an equal chance of being selected to participate in this telephone survey that allows participants to share their experiences with interactive, online gaming, better known as online gambling. The project incorporates yearly data collection and includes an annual report of the findings. Since PA recently legalized online gaming, we are in a unique position... |
Any, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Paid |
On campus, Remote |
October 10, 2022 | December 1, 2021 | |
| Research on plant ecology and evolution at the Arboretum |
Every fall, from September to November, we monitor, collect and analyse leaves from deciduous species of trees at the Arboretum at Penn State, to study the evolution of autumn colors. If you want to join us, contact Prof. Marco Archetti (marco@psu.edu) for more information. |
Environmental and Geosciences, Life Sciences |
Credit, Volunteer |
On campus |
October 9, 2022 | October 9, 2022 | |
| Center for Childhood Obesity Research - Spring 2023 RAs |
The Center for Childhood Obesity Research (CCOR) is seeking student research assistants to help with data collection for a large NIH-funded R01 study. Students will be mentored by Dr. Jennifer Savage Williams, Dr. Emily Hohman, and CCOR staff. Though all are encouraged to apply, we are particularly interested in students who are able to commit at least 1 full day per week (~10am - 3pm) to assist with data collection in preschool classrooms in Blair County. Transportation to and from the field sites will be provided. We will be serving lunch and snacks, measuring dietary intake, measuring heights and weights, and performing behavioral observations in these classrooms. Students who cannot accommodate a full day of research in their course schedule are also encouraged to apply and are... |
Nursing and Health Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Paid, Variable, Volunteer, Work Study |
Community-based, On campus |
September 22, 2022 | September 22, 2022 | |
| Artificial Intelligence for Smart and Connected Communities |
We apply state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and data science techniques, including deep learning and reinforcement learning, to solve important societal problems in complex cyber-physical systems, such as smart transportation networks and power systems. Our goal is to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and resilience of these systems through prediction and optimization by tackling challenging computational problems. |
Information Technology and Computer Science |
Credit, Paid, Volunteer |
On campus, Remote |
September 19, 2022 | September 19, 2022 | |
| Fluid Dynamics of multimodal locomotion (swimming, flying, walking) |
Many animals can easily transition between aquatic, aerial, and/or terrestrial modes of locomotion. However, this is challenging to emulate in human-designed systems because we do not understand how animals achieve this "multimodality". We are investigating several species of aquatic insects that that are not only multimodal, but trimodal: capable of swimming, walking, and flying within the same life stage. Over the course of the project, we will explore the kinematics and fluid dynamics of 1) in-air and underwater walking, 2) swimming, and 3) the swimming-to-flying transition in three families of freshwater macroinvertebrates: water boatmen (Corixidae), backswimmers (Notonectidae), and diving beetles (Dytiscidae). These insects have several adaptations for multimodality, such as... |
Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences |
Credit |
On campus |
September 14, 2022 | September 14, 2022 | |
| Research Assistant for the Study of Brain, Reward, and Kids' Eating (BRAKE) |
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). 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 reinforcement learning is essential to uncovering the causes of obesity. We hypothesize that greater brain activation in areas that... |
Social and Behavioral Sciences |
Credit, Variable |
On campus |
September 9, 2022 | September 9, 2022 | |
| Dynamics of Plant Cell Walls |
Research opportunities are available in the Anderson Lab 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, Remote |
September 7, 2022 | August 25, 2022 |