Research
Undergraduate students have many opportunities to collect research experience at Iowa State University. The College of Human Sciences Honors program, the Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Internship, and the Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program are some ways to begin research in your field. However, the easiest route to a research opportunity is to simply reach out to a professor or graduate assistant who works in an area you are interested in researching.
Honors Program
The honors program community places a high value on student research and can provide a support network to accomplish your goals. If you have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, you can apply for the Honors program anytime, so long as you have at least 48 credits left in your degree program.
Louise Rosenfeld Undergraduate Internship
Apply for a high-quality research internship working with prestigious faculty. This opportunity is open to juniors and seniors considering graduate school or an advanced degree.
Learn more about this internship opportunity.
Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program
Iowa State University’s Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) Program helps students develop technical and specialized skills in a formal research environment, and foster originality, imagination, judgment, and patience — critical traits for an independent scholar.
Agriculture experiential learning and work program (CALS)
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Science with Practice experiential learning and work program is for undergraduate students in agriculture. Students work closely with faculty and staff on specific projects and/or work assignments, earn money, and earn academic credit while fulfilling work responsibilities.
Cyclone Scholars
Incoming multicultural students who have been accepted into the university as food science majors are eligible to apply for the Cyclone Scholars scholarship program, which includes a research component working with food science faculty. More details.
Cyclone Scholar Summer Research Experience
The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) at Iowa State University welcomes applications from undergraduate students for a summer research experience. Cyclone Scholars will perform interdisciplinary research with faculty mentors across the areas of food science and human nutrition to address solutions to childhood obesity. Cyclone Scholars will spend 8 weeks on campus conducting research, participating in workshops and exploring local food systems, agricultural food production and the food industry. Travel, housing and meals are provided. Learn more about this program.
Department faculty research
If you learn about a faculty member who is doing research in an area that interests you, you can ask him or her directly about potentially assisting with the research. If you have not identified a specific faculty member, but have an interest in a certain area, you can view department research taking place by topic areas on the FSHN Strategic Areas of Excellence. Remember to be professional when inquiring with a faculty member about potential research opportunities. Learn more about the research of individual faculty members by using the faculty directory.
Faculty mentor research experience (CALS)
The George Washington Carver Internship Program is an eight-week summer research program for undergraduates that exposes students to research by matching them with a faculty mentor in their area of interest and allows interns to become familiar with lives of graduate students in a large university and with living in Iowa. Interns participate in weekly seminars and social, cultural, and educational activities in addition to their research experience.