GUIDANCE FOR RESEARCHERS REGARDING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19

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USU Undergraduate Research

IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING COVID-19 AND IMPLICATIONS FOR STUDENT RESEARCH

The Student Research Programs team at USU is committed to continuing to provide excellent opportunities and support for student researchers and their mentors during the changes in university policy resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak. Many of our activities will move online. While research and conference travel is temporarily suspended, we will continue to operate fellowship/grant competitions and to communicate with you about opportunities to share your research. We are working remotely, and our preferred method of contact is email.

Dr. Alexa Sand, Associate Vice President of Research: Alexa.Sand@usu.edu
Athena Dupont, Senior Coordinator of Programs: Athena.Dupont@usu.edu
Amelia Ashby, Student Assistant: Amelia.Ashby@usu.edu

Students who are employed in research labs, or who are engaged in non-course-based research in lab, clinical, or fieldwork research settings should be able to continue their work at this time, unless it involves face-to-face interactions with human subjects (please see the IRB page https://research.usu.edu/irb/). In all cases, practice social distancing and proper hygiene, and do not come to work if you have been exposed to COVID-19 or have any symptoms of illness. Talk to your research mentor about strategies for continuing your research engagement while protecting your health and the health of our community. If you feel uncomfortable about the conditions in which you are being asked to work, please contact us. Lab- and studio-based courses have gone online and will not be meeting face-to-face for the remainder of the spring semester.

The Utah State University response to the public health issues raised by the virus is being continually updated here. We have research-specific information on our recommendations for laboratory, clinical, and field operations, travel, events, and other matters relating to the partial campus shutdown here.

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Upcoming Opportunities

Get Published!

Deadline: April 1, 2020 at 11:59 pm

Notified by: April 8, 2020

The new undergraduate research journal, Curiosity, is now accepting submissions! The journal accepts all research and creative work, so your art portfolios, short films, research articles, and more! To learn more about eligibility and requirements, please click here.

What our office can do for you

Learn About Research

Learn more about what research is and how you can get involved.

Fund your Research

Get more information on URCO grants, travel funding, and other funding opportunities.

Skills and Resources

Advice on how to make great posters, presentations, CVs, and proposals can be found here.

Present your Research

Want to present your research at SRS, ROCH, UCUR or NCUR?  These conferences are open to students from all fields.

Awards and Recognition

Designate your research accomplishments on your transcript, and apply for various awards.
How Undergraduate research can enhance your college experience

  • Increased satisfaction with the college experience

    According to this article, being involved in research can lead to higher satisfaction with college.

  • Increased retention in first generation and minority students

    This article exhibits one of the many studies that show how a personal relationship with a mentor through research can help you get your degree.

  • Helps prepare you for your future career

    Undergraduate researchers get a jump start in their careers. According to this article, undergraduate researchers are better prepared for life after college.

What Undergraduate Researchers Have to Say
“Undergraduate research is a blast! It’s an excellent way to apply education to actual scenarios of interest. I encourage every student to do it if they have the chance, no matter their majors.”
McKenna Walters, Animal, Dairy & Veterinary Sciences class of 2019

“Undergraduate research is fun and voluntary real life homework.”

Haylee Downey, Psychology class of 2020
“Undergraduate research has been invaluable to my education. It has helped me connect concepts from multiples courses in a practical setting. Additionally, after starting undergraduate research, I did better in my coursework and understood everything more thoroughly. It made me a better student. I would recommend everyone participate in undergraduate research.”
Avery Holyoak, Civil & Environmental Engineering class of 2019
“I have absolutely loved my experiences conducting undergraduate research. It has opened so many doors for my future and has confirmed my love to research unexplored fields and contribute to society.”
Braxton Beers, Psychology class of 2019
“This has been the single most influential experience of my college career. Working on and creating research projects has helped me to decide to continue research in grad school, vet school, and beyond. I’m so thankful to my research mentor for encouraging me and supporting my curiosity.”
Kyleigh Tyler, Animal, Dairy & Veterinary Sciences class of 2019
“I love undergraduate research. I get to apply knowledge gained from the classroom into topics that intrigue me. Research has allowed me to build personal connections with numerous faculty and staff. These connections have helped to give me more opportunities to grow and succeed at Utah State University.”
Ethan Hammer, Wildland Resources class of 2020

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