All MatSE students are encouraged to participate in undergraduate research. Students may earn course credit or a stipend for their work. Students may participate during any semester and at any time.
Nick Richardson - Undergraduate Research in EMS
Nick Richardson found an early research opportunity with Tawanda Zimudzi at Penn State's Materials Research Institute. Richardson's experience focused on a method that uses light to examine at interactions in batteries.
Department and College level Undergraduate Research Opportunities
EMSAGE Research Initiative Award
Up to $300 in support of individual undergraduate research travel, contingent upon availability of funds and a dollar-for-dollar department match, for a total of up to $600.
Materials Science and Engineering
The department provides undergraduate students with rich research opportunities to compliment and enhance our academic offerings through a variety of programs.
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) is an eight-week research program designed to interest talented undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in academic careers and to enhance their preparation for graduate study through intensive research experiences with faculty mentors. In addition to the research experience, the program includes professional development workshops, seminars, field trips, and social activities.
University-level Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring empowers Penn State students to engage deeply in inquiry, discovery, and personal growth. Through collaboration across Penn State’s colleges and campuses, they support students in two key areas of undergraduate research and fellowship mentoring.
Sustainable Physics REU
Three REU programs are available each with different research projects, all three share professional development focused on scientific communication and sustainable research practices.
Research and Poster Exhibitions
MatSE Undergraduate Poster Competition
Undergraduate students involved in independent research, industry projects, or other scholarly pursuits are encouraged to highlight their hard work by submitting a poster each spring to the annual MatSE Undergraduate Poster Competition.
EMS Undergraduate Poster Exhibition
The EMS poster exhibition provides an opportunity for undergraduate students in EMS to showcase their research, and connect and share their work with other students, faculty, staff, and the community.
College of Engineering Research Symposium (CERS)
CERS 2017 showcases the cutting-edge interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research that is being conducted at Penn State in paper and poster formats.
Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology Student Symposium (ECMSS)
ECMSS is an annual student run symposium held at Penn State’s University Park campus, which brings together graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty members engaged in environmentally relevant research.
Penn State Undergraduate Exhibition
Penn State's annual Undergraduate Exhibition communicates and celebrates the participation of undergraduate students from across the University in research and creative endeavors.
External Competitions
Collegiate Inventors Competition
The Competition brings together the nation’s brightest college minds to showcase, recognize, and award their cutting-edge research and discovery.
National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the NSF.