Research. Explore. Discover.
Student researchers are a valuable part of our department. Undergraduate students in HCS have a variety of opportunities to gain valuable hands-on research experience while learning new skills and techniques, which can be broadly applied across fields.
If you have general questions about getting started with Undergrad Research please contact Joshua Blakeslee.
- Determine your area of interest and what type of methods and skills you would like to learn
- Identify a faculty mentor whose research interests you
- Contact potential mentors via e-mail and inquire about opportunities to carry out a research project in their lab
- Set up a meeting with the faculty mentor to discuss project ideas, research schedule, expectations and credit hours
Be sure to ask your faculty mentor about the availability of paid research positions in their lab, opportunities to present your research and opportunities to apply for external funding.
Learn more about our faculty members research interests by visiting our people pages.
There are several opportunities for you to gain research experience while earning course credit:
- HCS 4193 Individual Studies: provides an opportunity to investigate a particular topic of interest with the guidance of a faculty mentor. This course takes place over one semester, is considered an Independent Study and may be in the form of a literature review and discussion over a specific topic or a specialized project designed by you and your mentor.
- HCS 4998 Undergraduate Research: provides an opportunity for an independent research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Undergraduate research in Horticulture and Crop Science may take place in a laboratory, greenhouse and/or field. You'll gain valuable experience with experimental design, research techniques, data analysis and interpretation and science communication. This is a non-thesis option intended for short-term research projects, which can be accomplished in one or two semesters. Your research project may also segue into a Research with Distinction project.
- HCS 4999 Research with Distinction: provides an opportunity for you to carry a research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Undergraduate research in Horticulture and Crop Science may take place in a laboratory, greenhouse, and/or field. You'll gain valuable experience with experimental design, research techniques, data analysis and interpretation and science communication. This option is intended for multi-semester projects and will require you to write a project thesis and present your research at a local or national conference. Successful completion of the thesis will result in research distinction being stated on your diploma.
Our undergraduate students have plenty of opportunities to share their discoveries with others. By presenting your research findings, you will develop important science communication skills for both general and specialized audiences, which can be broadly applied across fields. Opportunities to present your research can be found here: Presentation Opportunities
Additionally, these events are excellent opportunities to discover the breadth of research being performed by students across campus and engage in constructive conversations with students, faculty and staff from different areas of study.