Course-Based Research
This page lists a number of course-based research experiences available to students, and will list more as we become aware of them and they are made available. Do you know of something we need to add? Send the information to Kelley Merriam-Castro at kmerriam@arizona.edu.
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)
CUREs are courses specifically designed for first-year, second-year, or transfer students looking to gain an authentic research experience right away. Many CURE classes have no prerequisites! CUREs take a research question based on a faculty member's field of study that requires many people to complete the data collection and analysis. Students in a CURE class participate in this project, helping to move novel research questions forward and advance our understanding in that field. CUREs look great on a resume. They can help students determine if a particular research field is right for them. The skills developed in a CURE class can also establish the necessary relationships and trajectory to be competitive for future research opportunities. To view CURE classes available now, see current offerings. To view courses available in future semester, visit the list of descriptions on the CURE course webpage.
Other research classes:
ECOL 195C: Research Methods in Biology (and related disciplines!) -- How to get the most out of your research experience
1 credit, fully asynchronous online, can be taken through UA Main Campus or UA Online
A research experience should be part of any science degree: it allows you to see first-hand how science is produced, and provides an opportunity to learn many real-life and job-relevant skills such as team work, project management, data analysis/data science, and presentation skills. This class will help you find a lab, then give you the skills to get the most out of that experience. The class will provide training in the scientific method, data handling (using R), statistics, and presentation skills. We will also help you apply to graduate programs if that is your plan. The class is suitable for freshmen and seniors, and everything in-between: you will be improving in your understanding of how to interpret experiments and data from where you are. You will practice programming in R, refine your statistics skills, and strengthen your understanding of how rigorous science works, as well as how you can argue for science with the public. Most labs are taking students again, and we will help you make connections to find a great place to do research. Note that the class is ACCOMPANYING a lab experience; we will help you find that experience but it is not included in the credit total for the class. Note that even if you are fully online, there are labs that allow you to work on research remotely or to do research using already existing data (eg. from databases or previous research). Please contact the instructor if you have any questions: dornhaus@email.arizona.edu
Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs)
VIPs engage undergraduate and graduate students in ambitious, long-term, large-scale, multidisciplinary project teams that are led by faculty. For more information, visit the VIP website at https://uavip.arizona.edu/.