Florida State University is a major national research university, and undergraduates benefit from this status by being able to get involved in the research and creative work happening across campus. Students like you (yes, you!) can contribute to a body of knowledge and become a part of FSU’s legacy of high-quality student research. In fact, over 25% of FSU undergraduates conduct research before they graduate. Research occurs in every discipline, so whether you are interested in exercise science, music, communications, engineering, or any other major at FSU, there is a research project that is right for you!
CRE Conference Workshop
Learn about the importance of presenting research, how to find conferences in your field, and how to secure funding to present and attend conferences. We will also be going into detail about the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) and ACC Meeting of the Minds.
Getting Into Research Workshop
A brief overview of CRE programs and ways to get involved in research. The prerecorded video can be found here.
Watch the video below and then utilize our step-by-step process to learn more about starting your undergraduate research journey!
One: What is Research?
Florida State University encourages students to pursue research opportunities in their area of interest. Experiments done in a laboratory, research conducted in the archives of a library, interviews taken to explore a social or political concern, fieldwork leading to a better understanding of a social or environmental situation, artistic work created, and comparisons of best educational practices are all ways to explore research opportunities.
Undergraduate research requires collaboration between students and research mentors that engages the student in critical inquiry and exposes the student to the foundations of research or creative activity in their chosen discipline.
Research can culminate in numerous ways. Published manuscripts, oral presentations, exhibited posters, artistic expositions, musical compositions or performances, theatrical productions and some of the many ways that project results can be shared with the public and the scholarly community.
Why do research?
Doing research or a mentored creative project...
- Leads to a deeper understanding of your chosen discipline's current practices
- Teaches creative problem solving and communication skills
- Allows you to apply concepts learned in course work to real world situations
- Offers you the chance to work closely with a faculty mentor (useful when it is time to ask for letters of recommendation!)
- Gives you the chance to present your findings at local, regional, and national conferences
- Makes you a more competitive applicant to graduate and professional schools, or for jobs in your field
- Helps you explore potential career paths
Two: What Interests You?
- Explore what interests you. What do you want to know? If you are not sure, a good place to start is looking at what other people in your field have researched.
- Visit your department’s website and view past and current research projects being conducted by faculty and graduate students.
- Look at a comprehensive list of FSU's departments here: https://www.fsu.edu/departments/
- Read about undergraduate research in FSU’s research journal The Owl
- Attend events where undergraduate research is being presented:
President's Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence in the Fall
Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Spring
Three: Meet with the CRE
Welcome to the CRE! You're already on the path to getting your undergraduate research journey started here at FSU! You have quite a few options available to you to meet with CRE Staff.
We suggest coming to Drop-In Advising first to learn more about undergraduate research and for any questions about the CRE! Once you click on the drop-in advising link below, you will have to register for an appointment. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing the meeting link. After clicking on the link to join, you will be in a waiting room until the meeting starts. You can also access links to schedule an appointment about one of the topics below by clicking on the topic and staff member's name.
Join drop-in advising here during the following schedule:
Tuesday: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Wendy) VIRTUAL ONLY - Zoom link
Friday, October 25: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm (Wendy) - Zoom link
We've updated our website! Each menu title indicates a different aspect of our programming; if you are interested in learning more, click on the person's name to schedule an appointment through Campus Connect.
GENERAL CRE PROGRAMMING AND RESEARCH ADVISING
For general CRE programming and research advising, you can meet with:
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (UROP)
The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) provides high-achieving students an engaging community with the flexibility and funding opportunities to explore their full range of interests. You can join a community of hundreds of first and second-year student researchers and UROP alumni, including discipline-specific, transfer, and student-veteran cohorts.
Have questions about UROP? Meet with Alicia Batailles (alicia.batailles@fsu.edu) or Kris Ryan (kryan@fsu.edu).
FLORIDA GEORGIA LOUIS STOKES ALLIANCE FOR MINORITY PARTICIPATION IN STEM (FGLSAMP)
The Florida-Georgia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in STEM (FGLSAMP)’s mission is to increase the number of STEM baccalaureate and graduate degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. FGLSAMP aids with the acclimation to the college environment, the social and academic integration of the undergraduate experience, and the engagement in research and internship opportunities.
Have questions about FGLSAMP? Meet with Alicia Batailles (alicia.batailles@fsu.edu).
GLOBAL SCHOLARS
Global Scholars offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to engage with critical questions about social impact, social justice, and social change through a combination of academic, classroom-based learning as well as independent research, internship, and/or service-learning experiences.
Have questions about Global Scholars? Meet with Warren Oliver (boliver@fsu.edu).
IDEA GRANTS
IDEA Grants fund research, creative projects, and the development or evaluation of new or existing ideas. This is your chance to flex your creative muscles, innovate, and explore.
FSU undergraduate students in all majors can apply for an FSU IDEA Grant (formerly URCAA, MRCE, PRSF). Selected applicants will receive either a summer stipend of up to $4,000 (or up to $6,000 for groups) to fund their self-designed work on a topic, project, problem, artistic product or performance, or other entrepreneurial or creative idea. Projects must last 8-12 weeks and be under the mentorship of a supervising faculty member.
Have questions about IDEA Grants? Meet with Dave Montez (dmontez@fsu.edu) or Cary Wall (Tyler Center) (cfw17@fsu.edu)
INTERNATIONAL GENETICALLY ENGINEERED MACHINE (IGEM)
iGEM is the premiere student competition in synthetic biology. Since 2004, participants of the competition have experienced education, teamwork, sharing, and more in a unique competition setting. iGEM has a long history of involving students and the public in the development of the field of synthetic biology.
Have questions about iGEM and Innovation Programming? Meet with Dave Montez (dmontez@fsu.edu)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
If you are a high school student and would like to meet with CRE, please email cre@fsu.edu to schedule an appointment.
Finally, you can also:
- Set up a meeting with an Undergraduate Research Ambassador of SCURC (Student Council on Undergraduate Research and Creativity) to discuss your interests. Contact them at ura.fsu@gmail.com.
- Follow CRE on social media and sign up for our newsletter for updates on what's happening in undergraduate research: https://linktr.ee/FSUCRE
Four: After Meeting with the CRE
After meeting with the CRE, we also encourage you to look at some extra resources to help you on your undergraduate research journey. Use the flyer below to get tips about finding and contacting potential research mentors!
More tips for starting and continuing your research journey at FSU!
- Find funding:
- CRE IDEA Grants
- ONF (Office of National Fellowships) Fellowships
- Use your federal work-study funding (if awarded by FSU financial aid)
- Consider receiving DIS credit for your project (through your department)
- Consider completing an Honors in the Major Thesis: Honors in the Major
- Explore off-campus research opportunities. Many universities and companies offer research internships (especially in the summer).
- Create an account with Student Opportunity Center . This website is free for FSU students (it was created by an FSU alum and he makes it free for FSU, so use your FSU email addresses when signing up). Here are a few other places to look:
- Journal of Young Investigators (JYI)
- National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REUs)