University of Richmond

Research

Undergraduate research is typically the first step students take if they are interested in choosing science as a profession. Besides allowing them to establish a strong working relationship with a faculty member in their field of interest, undergraduate research teaches them how to communicate their results, both through publishing in peer-reviewed journals and by making formal presentations at the School of Arts & Sciences’ annual Student Symposium and at national and international conferences.  

Working on an independent research project is also an excellent way to satisfy the program’s experiential learning requirement. To receive credit, students can:

  • Conduct research during the semester with a faculty member (generally receiving academic credit by enrolling in ENVR 320).
  • Conduct research with a faculty member over the summer.  Students apply for fellowships through the School of Arts & Sciences.  Receiving a fellowship necessitates a 40 hours per week commitment for 10 weeks and in return, the School provides students with living expenses and a stipend.  
  • Conduct research while studying abroad.
  • Conduct research at an off-site facility.

For students who want to research on campus, the first step is finding a professor whom you enjoy working with and whose work interests you. He or she will be able to help you find appropriate opportunities in your field of interest. Talk to lots of professors. Find out what they study. The Environmental Studies Program has professors who study everything from evolution in amphibians and reptiles to Geographic Information Systems to floristics of the Yucatan peninsula to the effects of global warming on sponges—the list goes on and on. Once you’ve found a professor to work with, get the research experience approved by the program coordinator and enroll in the appropriate corresponding course, typically ENVR 320.

If you’d like to stay on campus for the summer, apply for a summer research fellowship. Deadlines for summer fellowships are typically in February.  Travel grants are also available to students at the conclusion of their research experiences, if they would like to travel to a regional or national meeting to present their work. Regardless of whether students travel to present work, it is generally expected that they will also present their work at the School of Arts & Sciences’ Student Symposium.

Opportunities for off-campus research abound. The National Science Foundation hosts a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and the EPA’s National Network for Environmental Management Studies connects students with environmental research projects in the natural and social sciences.  The University of Richmond also has cooperative agreements with Duke University’s Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina and the Marine Biological Laboratory Semester in Environmental Science (MBL SES) program in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.