Undergraduate Research

Drake University emphasizes undergraduate research as a vital scholarly activity, encouraging faculty and students to collaborate.

Distinct features of the undergraduate research experience at Drake include:

• Students conduct research projects with faculty from the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
• Students and faculty collaborate with local public and private institutions.
• Faculty and students build mentor-apprentice relationships.
• Students can begin research projects as early as their freshman year.
• Undergraduates showcase their findings at DUCURS (Drake University Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences).
• Undergraduates publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present their work at local, regional and national conferences.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities in math and science at Drake University

Academic Year

During the academic year, undergraduates could engage in collaborative research with faculty in math and science and obtain course credit or get a stipend through faculty grants. We encourage students to explore research opportunities to find out more about research interests of faculty members.

Summer

In the summer, undergraduates in math and science could obtain financial support to conduct research with a faculty advisor at Drake from:

• On-campus funding
  • Drake University Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships
  • Faculty grants
• External funding
  • Sigma XI (deadline for proposals: March 15, Oct. 15)
  • Iowa Prairie Network
  • R.J. McElroy Student/Faculty Research Program

Off-campus undergraduate research opportunities in math and science

• Internships and fellowships
• NASA undergraduate Student Research Program (deadline for applications: late October)
• NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
• Beta Beta Beta – opportunities include research grants, travel grants, publications in BIOS journal and presentations at BBB conventions