Finding the right mentor can be a challenge, but we're here to help!
When contacting a potential mentor or department representative, keep the following in mind:
Be professional
- Make an appointment ahead of time by sending an email to the professor that is professional and respectful.
- Keep your appointment! If a professor is going to mentor you, or recommend you to a colleague, you will need to demonstrate reliability.
Be prepared
- Come to the meeting knowing about the professor - find out their research interest and ideas.
Be interested
- If you are interested in getting involved in the research or scholarly work in the department, ask about how they recommend you get involved.
- Check out department webpages for undergraduate research links.
- If you are interested in the professor's research, ask, rather than demand, if there are opportunities for you to work with her or him.
Be flexible
- Don't be disappointed if the professor refers you to someone else. He or she may be looking for a different set of skills or otherwise unavailable. Thank them for the referral, and follow up! She or he will probably have told their colleague to look for you.
- Don't expect to be immediately in charge of an entire project. Most of the time, you will begin by supporting a project or doing initial background research. This lets you learn about the research or creative project, and gives you a chance to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, responsibility, and reliability.
- Some faculty post opportunities on Handshake: search Position Type for "Undergraduate Research project."
Be rewarded
There are several ways to be rewarded for your work on the project:
- Volunteer: this gives the opportunity to prove yourself, a line on your resume, and usually leads to one of the other options.
- Credit: ask about independent scholarly activities research credit, including the option of enrolling in OSCAR UNIV391 (for beginning work on a project) and UNIV491 (RS credit for a project). Both have 0 credit options so that they appear on your transcript but do not cost you additional tuition.
- Pay: rare, and usually only for faculty who have grants
- Apply to be a part of the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program: This is a competitive project for students who have developed a research or creative project, with a defined scholarly question, method for answering the question, and product when done. You get additional mentoring through OSCAR, credit, and monetary support for your project.
OSCAR Contacts by College and School
The individuals listed below understand the importance of undergraduate research and creative activities and have volunteered to assist you in your search for a mentor. Request an appointment to find out about opportunities in their programs and be directed toward faculty who could become your mentor.
Please note: This list is regularly updated. Faculty and staff who would like to have their names and contact information added to this list should submit our OSCAR Contact Form.
College of Education and Human Development
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr.David Wiggins, Co-Director | Study of Sport & Leisure in Society/Prof, SRHT | dwiggin1 |
| Dr.Erin E. Peters, Associate Professor | Science Education & Education Psychology | epeters1 |
| Dr.Nelson Cortes, Associate Professor | School of Recreation, Health and Tourism | ncortes |
| Dr.Maggie Daniels, Associate Professor | School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism | mdaniels |
| Dr.Shawn Lee, Assistant Professor | School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism | slz |
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Link |
|---|---|
| College of Education and Human Development | Office of Research |
| Transformative Teaching | Teacher Action Research |
| Special Education and Disability Research | Kellar Institute |
| Counseling and Development | Diversity, Research, & Action Consortium |
| Sports Management | Internships and Field Experience |
| School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism | Research Centers |
| Health Promotion | Internship and Field Experience |
| Kinesiology | SMART Lab Research Research |
College of Health and Human Services
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr.Cathy Tompkins, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs | Department of Social Work | ctompkin |
| Dr. Ali Weinstein, Associate Professor | Department of Global and Community Health | aweinst2 |
| Dr.Anna Pollack, Assistant Professor | Department of Global and Community Health | apollac2 |
| Sina Gallo, Assistant Professor | Nutrition and Food Studies | sgallo2 |
| Lilian de Jonge, Assistant Professor | Nutrition and Food Studies | edejonge |
Additional Resources
| Program | Department Links |
|---|---|
| CHHS | Research Student Research |
| Global and Community Health | Research Projects |
| Health Administration and Policy | Research Areas |
| Health and Human Services | Research |
| Rehabilitation Science | Research |
| Diversity, Inclusion, Multicultural Education | Research and Practice |
College of Humanities and Social Science
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Andrew Bickford, Associate Professor and Anthropology Undergraduate Program Director | Sociology and Anthropology | abickfo1 |
| Dr. Rachel Jones, Assistant Professor | Philosophy | rjones23 |
| Dr. Mike Hurley, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Academic Advisor | Psychology | mhurley2 |
| Lisa Breglia, Director | Global Affairs | lbreglila |
| Dr. Tom Rustici, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs | Economics | trustici |
| Dr. Debra Lattanzi Shutika, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of English | English and Folklore | dshutika |
| Dr. Lisa Newmark, Director of Undergraduate Programs | Criminology, Law, and Society | lnewmark |
| Dr. Esperanza Roman-Mendoza, Associate Professor and Associate Chair | Modern and Classical Languages: Spanish | eromanme |
| Laura Scott, Professor and Academic Coordinator | English | lscott |
| Dr. Douglas Eyman, Director, Ph.D in Writing and Rhetoric | English | deyman |
| Dr. Suzanne E. Smith, Professor | History & Art History: Art History | smisuze |
| Dr. Ricardo Vivancos-Pérez, Associate Professor and Spanish Program Coordinator | Modern and Classical Languages: Spanish | rvivanco |
| David Miller, Student Video Center Director | Communication | dmillef |
| Dr. Jason Dunick, Undergraduate Director | Economics | jdunick |
For additional undergraduate information in CHSS, see the list of Undergraduate Program Directors.
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Link |
|---|---|
| Communication | Research Centers |
| Criminology, Law, and Society | Research Centers |
| Economics | Center for the Study of Public Choice |
| Computer Science | UROP |
| Global Affairs | Research |
College of Science
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Assad Khan, Director for Undergraduate Student Affairs | College of Science | akhanf |
| Dr. Flavia Colonna, Professor and Graduate Coordinator | Mathematical Sciences | fcolonna |
| Julia Nord, Term Associate Professor | Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences | jnord |
| Chris Parsons, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator | Environmental Science & Policy | eparson1 |
| Esther Peters, Associate Professor | Environmental Science & Policy | epeters2 |
| Larry Rockwood, Professor and Chair | Biology Department | lrockwoo |
| Phil Rubin, Professor and Undergraduate Physics Advisor | Physics and Astronomy | prubin |
| Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, Professor | Mathematical Sciences | pseshaiy |
| John Schreifels, Chair and Associate Professor | Chemistry and Biochemistry | jschreif |
| Amy Adams, Scientific Outreach and Education Program Manager | Applied Proteomics & Molecular Medicine | avanmete |
| Joe Weingartner, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Astronomy Advisor | Physics and Astronomy | jweinga1 |
| Reid Schwebach, Coordinator COS Outreach & Recruitment, Term Assistant Professor | Governor's School, Innovation Park | jschweba |
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Links |
|---|---|
| College of Science | Research Centers |
| School of Physics, Astronomy, and Computational Science | SPACS |
| Biology | 2016 Research Semester Research Internships |
| Environmental Science and Policy | Research |
| Smithsonian School of Conservation: Kathleen Johnson, Director | Research |
College of Visual and Performing Arts
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Seth Hudson, Assistant Professor | Computer Game Design | shudson3 |
| Sang Nam | Computer Game Design | snam5 |
| Greg Grimsby, Assistant Professor | Computer Game Design | ggrimsby |
| Dr. Walter Kravitz, Professor and Gallery Director | School of Art | ekravitz |
| Dr. Linda Monson, Managing Director, Keyboard Area Coordinator, Distinguished Service Professor | School of Music | lmonson |
| Dr. Linda Miller, Professor | College of Visual and Performing Arts | lmille6 |
| Dr. Jesse Guessford, Assistant Professor-Music Technology | School of Music | jguessfo |
| Clayton Austin, Associate Professor/Production Manager | Theater | caustin |
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Link |
|---|---|
| College of Visual and Performing Arts | Undergraduate Studies Office |
| School of Dance | Resources |
| School of Theater | Opportunities |
| Film and Video Studies | Internships Student Resources |
Honors College
Contact Program Email
Jan Allbeck Honors College jallbeck
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Link |
|---|---|
| Living Learning Community | LLC |
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Jennifer Nicoll Victor, Associate Professor | Schar School of Policy and Government | jvictor3 |
| Dr. Ann Ludwick, Assistant Dean | Schar School of Policy and Government | aludwick |
| Matt Green, Assistant Director | Schar School of Policy and Government | mgreenb |
School of Integrative Studies
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Lisa Gring-Pemble, Associate Professor, Dean | New Century College | lgringpe |
| Dr. Julie Owen, Associate Professor | Leadership & Integrative Studies | jowen4 |
| Dr. Thomas Wood, Associate Professor | New Century College | twood |
| Dr. Al Fuertes, Term Associate Professor | New Century College | afuertes |
| Dr. Pamela Garner, Professor | New Century College | pgarner1 |
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Link |
|---|---|
| Integrative Studies | Internships |
| Environmental and Sustainability Studies | Internships |
School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Mara Schoeny, Associate Professor and Graduate Certificate Program Director | School for Conflict Analysis & Resolution | mschoeny |
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Links |
|---|---|
| School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution | Research & Practice Programs & Projects |
| S-CAR | Internships |
| Field Experience | Opportunities |
School of Business
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Matt Cronin, Associate Professor | Management | mcronin |
| Dr. Anne Magro, Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs | School of Business | amagro |
| Dr. Kevin Rockmann, Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs | School of Business | krockman |
| Dr. Mandy O'Neill, Assistant Professor | Management | ooneil |
Volgenau School of Engineering
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Sharon Caraballo, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs | Volgenau School of Engineering | scarabal |
| Dr. Ioulia Rytikova, Associate Professor | Sciences and Technology | irytikov |
| Dr. Liza Durant, Associate Professor and Chair | Civil, Environmental & Infrastructure Engineering | ldurant2 |
| Dr. Huzefa Rangwala, Assistant Professor | Computer Science | hrangwal |
| Dr. Brian Mark, Professor | Electrical and Computer Engineering | bmark |
| Dr. Nathalia Peixoto, Associate Professor | Electrical and Computer Engineering | npeixoto |
| Dr. Colin Reagle, Assistant Professor | Mechanical Engineering | creagle |
| Dr. David Holmes, Assistant Professor | Statistics | dholmes4 |
Additional Resources
| Program | Research Links |
|---|---|
| Applied Information Technology | Research |
| Bioengineering | Undergrad Research |
| Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering | Research News |
| Computer Science | Research Areas Labs and Centers Research News Undergraduate Research Opportunities |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | Research |
| Systems Engineering and Operations Research | Research |
Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study
| Contact | Program | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Nadine Kabbani, Assistant Professor | Molecular Neuroscience | nkabbani |
| Theodore C. Dumas, Associate Professor | Molecular Neuroscience | tdumas |