{"id":22197,"date":"2025-11-05T12:39:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T17:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/?page_id=22197"},"modified":"2026-06-11T16:05:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:05:47","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/undergraduate\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Undergraduate Research"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Are you interested in getting involved in research?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in research while at BU and there are a variety of mechanisms for doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n<table width=\"746\" height=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"height: 5px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h3><strong>Paid opportunities:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>UROP-supported stipend<\/li>\n<li>Work-study job<\/li>\n<li>Grant funded activity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td>\n<h3><strong>Unpaid opportunities:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Research for course credit\n<ul>\n<li>Directed Studies<\/li>\n<li>Honors Thesis<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Volunteer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><em>Note that these mechanisms are not mutually exclusive (e.g., a UROP summer project could lead into an Honors Thesis).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>There are also a variety of potential outcomes for research projects, ranging from short stand-alone projects that allow one to gain experience and explore new ideas, to more involved projects (often spanning over more than one semester) that might lead to opportunities to co-author papers, present at scientific conferences, or engage with external partners (e.g., government, industry, non-profits). <strong>Finally, it is never too early or too late to get engaged with research!<\/strong> While some faculty may have specific technical prerequisites to do work in their labs, others are eager to recruit students early that might work with them over multiple years.<\/p>\n<h2>UROP<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/urop\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (UROP) at BU provides stipends to undergraduate students on a competitive basis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summer Research Awards: 20-40 hours\/week over 10 weeks. Also includes coordinated summer professional development and social activities and an early Fall poster session.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Semester Stipends: 5-10 hours\/week over the semester<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work with a faculty mentor to prepare a research proposal and submit an application (see below for more info about reaching out to mentors). Deadlines are in September, December, and March for the Fall, Spring, and Summer stipends respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition to being a source of funding, UROP also maintains a database of postings about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/urop\/opportunities\/on-campus-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on-campus research opportunities<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with faculty. Postings include information about whether the faculty mentor is looking for UROP funded students, directed study (i.e. academic credit), have independent funding or work-study, or is looking for volunteers.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Directed Study (i.e. research for credit)<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can enroll in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/academics\/undergraduate-education\/special-academic-opportunities\/directed-study\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">directed study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> undergraduate courses (EE 491 and\/or EE 492) aimed at giving you hands-on research experience for course credit that count toward your degree.\u00a0 Depending on scope, such projects can range from 1 to 6 credits during a semester and up to 4 credits can be counted as a major elective.\u00a0 Directed studies can be arranged up to the last day to add courses in the semester. Note that directed studies are intended to allow students to pursue topics not normally covered in the curriculum, or to dive deeper into a topic covered in a previous course, but cannot be used to substitute for existing courses. In some cases, directed studies can also be done in conjunction with external internships (e.g., providing credit for additional reading, writing, and reflection in conjunction with an on-campus faculty mentor). In all cases, when pursuing research for credit students are expected to make a genuine intellectual contribution to their research project \u2013 unlike paid positions or volunteering, one cannot receive Directed Study credit for work as a technician or lab\/field assistant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>If you are interested in a directed study you should:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find a faculty mentor: Reach out to faculty you would be interested working with and discussed your proposed topic with them<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Develop a proposal: Fill out all three sections on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/files\/2020\/10\/Directed-Study-Application.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Undergraduate Directed Study Application<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with your supervising faculty mentor.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Send the application to the E&amp;E Dept Chair for their approval (and CC your mentor and Sayaka)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Submit the signed application to CAS Advising, <\/span><a href=\"mailto:casadv@bu.edu\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">casadv@bu.edu<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 (and CC your mentor and Sayaka)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Register for your mentor\u2019s section of EE491 or EE492. Reach out to Sayaka for help with this if it is not done automatically by CAS Advising.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Honors Thesis<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond an individual directed study, s<\/span>tudents who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible to work toward honors in the major. Requirements include completion of the two-course sequence of independent study (CAS EE 401 and CAS EE 402) and successful defense of a senior thesis. In appropriate circumstances, and with the approval of the Departmental Honors Committee, students may apply significant summer research toward the production of a senior thesis. In such cases, students combine independent summer fieldwork with either EE 401 or EE 402 as the basis for writing and defending a senior honors thesis.<\/p>\n<p>Interested students should contact the department Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS), who oversees departmental honors, no later than March of their junior year. Students with an overall GPA between 3.3 and 3.5 can request permission from the DUS to be accepted into the program.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/files\/2026\/06\/EE-HONORS-2026-Form-FINAL.pdf\">Departmental Honors Application<\/a><\/p>\n<ol><\/ol>\n<h2>Paid Positions and Work Study<\/h2>\n<p>Professors generally support their research activity through grants (e.g., from governmental agencies like NSF and NASA).<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, professors will carve out some funding from these grants to support undergraduate research assistants. These may be advertised, or you may need to inquire on a case-by-case basis. It never hurts to reach out and ask, though securing external federal funding has been tough recently.<\/p>\n<p>When reaching out to faculty about such positions it is also helpful to indicate whether you\u2019ve been awarded Work-Study financial aid. Some professors may be better able to support a research position if you\u2019ve been awarded Work-Study financial aid, as they only have to cover 30% of the cost for on-campus positions or 50% for off-campus positions (e.g. summer field work).<\/p>\n<h2>Volunteering<\/h2>\n<p>You could offer to volunteer to gain experience. Please reach out to faculty mentors to learn about their policy on taking volunteers. Volunteering can provide a path to other opportunities down the road.<\/p>\n<h2>Contacting Faculty<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most daunting parts for many students when launching a research project is reaching out to faculty as potential mentors. Don\u2019t worry, they don\u2019t bite! Indeed, mentoring students is an important and rewarding part of their job. That said, faculty time and resources are finite, and many faculty already have large numbers of mentees at the PhD, MS, and BA levels, so not all will be able to accommodate your requests.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few hints to make the process of finding a mentor less painful and more successful<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check the UROP listing of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/urop\/opportunities\/on-campus-research\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research opportunities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> posted by faculty<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are experimenting with launching a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1VRGsNvtdP2y50ZGM8YgVmKz6OvBfvUM2FICoiWazlqI\/edit?usp=sharing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spreadsheet summarizing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> E&amp;E faculty looking to mentor students<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Come to the Research Bites seminar<\/strong> series to better get to know faculty and their research.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong>When emailing a professor it\u2019s good to include:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your resume and info about relevant coursework or other experiences<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What general topics are of interest to you<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What sort of opportunities you are looking for (UROP, course credit, paid, volunteer)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you are looking to start (Immediately? Next semester?)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What type of project you are looking for (lab work, field work, computational, remote sensing \/ GIS, synthesis \/ meta-analysis)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finding a research project is always a balance of finding a topic that is of mutual interest to you and your mentor. It is helpful to come with ideas, but also to be open to learning about what different labs specialize in and where they might need help as part of ongoing research projects. For Directed Study or Honors in particular it is critical that students make genuine intellectual contributions to a project, but at the same time that doesn\u2019t mean that the student has to generate all of the ideas.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Mentoring Expectations<\/h2>\n<p>For all forms of faculty-guided research mentoring,<strong> there is an expectation that students and mentors establish a regular meeting time to discuss research projects<\/strong>. In some cases faculty may invite their undergraduate mentees to regularly-scheduled lab group meetings, but such meetings should not take the place of direct mentoring. Similarly, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in a mentor\u2019s lab may play an active role in co-mentoring an undergraduate, but undergraduate mentees should not be reporting primarily to such a co-mentor for on-campus research experiences or for off-campus experiences where the faculty is available physically or virtually. Mentoring expectations during remote field experiences should be laid out clearly ahead of time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you interested in getting involved in research? Undergraduate students are encouraged to participate in research while at BU and there are a variety of mechanisms for doing so. Paid opportunities: UROP-supported stipend Work-study job Grant funded activity Unpaid opportunities: Research for course credit Directed Studies Honors Thesis Volunteer Note that these mechanisms are not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23384,"featured_media":0,"parent":20525,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23384"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22197"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22473,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22197\/revisions\/22473"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/20525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/earth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}