Talk to your advisor today about enrolling in one of these Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) for Spring 2026!
*Some courses may require you to complete an application or email the instructor to enroll. See information for each course below.
Interested in Vertically Integrated Projects? Visit their webpage to apply: uavip.arizona.edu/
Check this page regularly - we update it as classes are added or changed. A complete list of CUREs developed at the University of Arizona can be found here.
Questions about CUREs? Email UndergradResearch@arizona.edu!
CUREs in STEM Fields
Instructor: Dr. Li Xu (lxu@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Fully online
Credits: 3
Description: APCV 361 Data Analysis and Visualization will lay a foundation for students to understand how to process, analyze, and visualize data. Topics include data collection and integration, exploratory data analysis, statistical inference and modeling, machine learning, and data visualization. The emphasis of the course topics will be placed on integration and synthesis of concepts and their application to solving problems. Students will explore these topics using software tools.
Prerequisites: APCV302, APCV320, prior Python programming experience. The course is only available to CAST students.
Instructor: Dr. Na Zuo (nazuo@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30am - 10:45am
Credits: 3-4 units
Description: Discover where economics, marketing, and food innovation come together! This hands-on course invites you to explore how consumers make purchasing decisions and how businesses set prices in the dynamic food and beverage industry. Dive into real-world projects analyzing Willingness to Pay (WTP) for products like craft beer, specialty tortillas, and other local favorites. Work side-by-side with economists, food scientists, and local food entrepreneurs to uncover what drives consumer demand and how effective food marketing strategies can shape perceptions, value, and pricing. If you’re passionate about food, business, and creative market insights, this course offers the perfect mix of research, innovation, and real-world impact!
Prerequisites:
- MATH 163 or MATH 263, AREC 239, SBS 200, PSY 230, or equivalent.
One intro statistics course from AREC 239 or SBS 200 or BNAN 276 or MATH 163 or MATH 263 or ISTA 116 or equivalent transfer coursework or higher intro statistics.
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Instructor: Dr. Tara Archuleta (tlarchul@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00pm-2:50pm
Credits: 2
Description: To introduce sophomore biochemistry students to experimental design and data interpretation. Exercises include group discussions on experimental controls, conclusions, and alternate explanations for published experiments. Students will apply what they learn to generate resources in the field of biochemical research.
Prerequisites: Biochemistry majors only, or consent of instructor
Instructors: Dr. Katrina Henry (katrinahenry@arizona.edu) and Charlie Cunningham (ccunningham7@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Wednesdays 2:00pm-4:50pm
Credits: 1
Description: The critical zone is Earths skin - extending from the top of the tree canopy to the bottom of the groundwater zone. Movement of mass and energy maintain a chemical and thermodynamic disequilibrium, resulting in the ecosystems and their services found throughout the critical zone. In this lab illustrative activities and quantitative explorations lead students to describing the critical zone. Laboratory activities complement ENVS 270 lecture topics. Designed to accompany ENVS 270 Critical Zone Science.
Prerequisites: Students must have previously completed ENVS 270 Critical Zone Science lecture or be concurrently enrolled for spring semester.
Instructor: Dr. Soumaya Belmecheri (sbelmecheri@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Wednesdays 2:30pm-3:45pm
Credits: 3
Description: In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of the scientific research generally, and in dendrochronology specifically, by engaging in a novel, hands-on, societally-relevant research project anchored in the earth, environmental, and archeological sciences. Topics covered include the scientific method, fundamentals of dendrochronology, data visualization and basic analysis, and scientific communication. This course is intended for students from any background and with no prior experience who are interested in enhancing their science skills through a discovery-driven research experience.
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Ingmar Riedel-Kruse (ingmar@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Thursdays: 8:30-9:15 (formal instruction / mandatory for students to be there), Thursdays: 9:15am-5:00pm (flexible time for students to work in the lab; students can come and go; work the hours that suit their schedule)
- Lab time on select other days can potentially be coordinated with instructor if student does not have enough availability on Thursdays. This requires instructors permission and is not guaranteed.
Credits: 1, 2, 3 (based on student interest and time commitment / time availability)
Description: Students will learn how to build, program, and operate simple scientific instruments, machines and robots – and how to use such robots to execute biology or chemistry experiments. We will be using the educational Lego robotics technology. Students will initially be introduced to the accessible Scratch programming language, as well as basic mechanical construction principles, motors, actuators, and liquid handling in the life-science. Another focus is on experimental design and performance characterization of scientific instruments. Based on interest, students can then choose to deepen their skills in one or more of different areas, such as python programming, engineering simple and complex machines, or designing and running their own scientific investigations on such devices. Students will also learn to document their progress in scientific notebooks, and how to write a final report. Students will typically work alone or in pairs.
A significant part of instruction will take on place on some dedicated dates, e.g., weekends or evenings, rather than being spaced equally over the semester. This will allow for a more concentrated and naturalistic research experience. We also intend to enable students to work independently on their own time in the lab. Further details on logistics to be decided.
Prerequisites: None. Students need to bring a suitable laptop (typically, any laptop will do, and we can help in case of need).
Instructors: Dr. Frans Tax (fetax@arizona.edu) and Dr. Susan Hester (sdhester@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays 11:00am-12:00pm, Fridays 11:00am-2:00pm
Credits: 3
Description: This course is designed for juniors, particularly transfer students who have not participated in university research up to this point. The course will give students the opportunity to participate in an ongoing research project that seeks to understand the molecular basis of how plant (Arabidopsis) roots respond to their environment and different nutrient levels. Students will conduct a research project on self-selected environmental factors; developing projects to understand how plants regulate the growth of their roots. In addition to participating in research, students will learn about the undergraduate research ecosystem at the UA campus by exploring and applying for potential research opportunities. At the end of the class, students will have cultivated research skills that will make them competitive applicants for summer research programs and for graduate school.
Prerequisites:
- Transfer Students / Juniors
- MCB 181, EEB 182, CHEM 151, CHEM 152
Instructors: Dr. Jen Teske (teskeja@arizona.edu) and Jennifer Ravia (jravia@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Wednesdays 1:00pm-3:50pm
Credits: 3
Description: The integrated stress response (IRS) is a ubiquitous cellular pathway that regulates protein synthesis and is associated with many chronic diseases. Animal models indicate that abnormal behavior (diet, physical activity and sleep) disrupts regulatory proteins in the IRS within several tissues, but it’s unclear if the same response occurs in humans and if the proteins can be detected in a biofluid (saliva or urine). The purpose of this class is to determine if IRS proteins can be detected in biofluids and if they are associated with diet quality, physical activity levels, and sleep. To do this, students will participate in data collection, protein extraction and quantification, lab assays, data visualization, data analysis and create a poster to summarize the data collected during the project. This is an entry level class, where class time and outside activities will be used to introduce and discuss these activities sufficiently to develop student self-efficacy with laboratory procedures. At the end of the course, students will be able to describe a research project from start to finish and effectively communicate the results of the research.
Prerequisites: None
Instructors: Dr. Mark Beilstein (mbeilstein@arizona.edu) and Erika Haws (hawserika@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:00pm-3:30pm
Credits: 3
Description: CROPPS Inc. – Biological Engineering covers fundamental principles in molecular and cellular biology and basic genetics. Emphasis is placed on biological function at the molecular level, with a focus on the structure and regulation of genes, the structure and synthesis of proteins, how these molecules are integrated into cells, and how these cells are integrated into multicellular systems. Students will apply what they learn in a concurrent lab to generate resources that will be used to dissect root-to-shoot signaling in plants. These resources will help biologist engineer plants with increased nitrogen use efficiency, a critical goal for increasing the sustainability of crop production.
Prerequisites: MCB181L/R or high school AP Biology equivalent.
Instructor: Dr. Zhongguo Xiong (zxiong@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30am-12:15pm
Credits: 3
Description: This is a 3-credit, Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) course. The first 50 minutes are reserved for interactive lectures while the remaining two hours are reserved for lab experiments. After the initial training in the first two weeks, students will be able to arrange their own time to perform experiments required for this course.
PepMV is a virus that infects tomatoes, and this project explores its potential to display foreign proteins/peptides on its surface for use in vaccines or therapeutics. The viral protein shell (capsid protein, or CP) can be modified to carry these proteins, but adding extra genetic material can disrupt its function, such as its ability to spread through the plant. To address this, students will study the mutants of PepMV in which a portion of the CP is deleted, creating space for foreign proteins without harming the virus's ability to infect plants.
Each student pair will infect plants with their assigned PepMV mutant and track how the virus spreads. A green fluorescent protein (GFP) tag will help visualize the virus under UV light, allowing students to document its movement in real time. Over the two four-week periods, students will document the virus spread, collect data in a shared database, analyze how their mutation affects virus spread in two repeats, and interpret their findings using scientific literature. At the end of the semester, they will present their results in a report and poster session
Prerequisites: MCB 181R or ECOL 182R or MIC 205A or MIC/MCB/ACBS/PLP/ENVS 285R, or equivalents
CUREs in Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts
Instructor: Dr. Bryan Carter (bryancarter@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Varies
Credits: 1-3
Description: Students will join in a theoretical and hands-on practical introduction to the Digital Humanities and advanced technologies used in the field (augmented reality, virtual reality, volumetric, 360 imaging, etc.). This knowledge will be applied in a real-world project with a local cultural center as students collaborate to explore how to undertake critical, embedded Digital Humanities partnerships in community settings with vulnerable populations.
Prerequisites: None
Notes: Students interested in enrolling should email Dr. Bryan Carter at bryancarter@arizona.edu.
1. Scan QR code with camera app
2. Accept request to access camera, mic, and gyroscope
3. Point camera at the floor and tap and hold your screen briefly. The hologram should then appear!
Instructors: Dr. Kat Cheng (katcheng@arizona.edu) and Nathan Gallegos (ngallegos@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30am-10:45am
Credits: 3
Description: Research is fun! This class will provide you with tools to become an informed consumer of research methods/knowledge, to think critically and apply research methods like a social scientist, and equip you with the proper foundation to design a research study and communicate research findings in the field of education.
Students of this course will become familiar with research ethics, APA style writing, various research designs, practice critical thinking skills, and demonstrate a basic understanding of research methods commonly used in education fields. You will learn to apply research methods to explore culturally-responsive asset-based pedagogy through course-based research experience.
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Dr. Amy Fountain (avf@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Varies
Credits: Varies
Description: Students will join a community-based language technology development project, the Coeur d’Alene Online Language Resource Center (COLRC), as an example of a community lead language technology development project that focuses on the needs of a low-resource, minoritized language community. Depending on their skills and interests, participating students will enroll for 1 to 3 credits, at a course level (299, 399, 499) appropriate to their experience, and be assigned to assist in the development and deployment process. The project supports students who wish to develop skills in linguistic analysis and language activism, along with at least one of the following technical skills: coding for frontend, backend, rest interfaces, and scripting (javascript, python); database development (postgres, graphQL); and/or natural language processing (ingest, tokenization, annotation tasks using lum.ai/odinson libraries). Interested students should have at least some familiarity with and enjoyment of coding, but need not have significant experience or expertise in these areas. Students who are members of minoritized or low resource language communities will bring particularly valuable experience and expertise to this work, but any undergraduate student is welcome to participate.
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Dr. Brian Luce (bluce@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Mondays and Fridays 11:00am-11:50am
Credits: 4
Description: Individual Studies foster individual development in musicianship and technique as applied to a particular instrument. In addition these courses reinforce historical and theoretical applications as applied to performance. Open to all students. This course fulfills Music Individual Studies requirements for the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts in Music. This course may be used to fulfill credit requirements for the Minor in Music. Music Majors may take this course no more than three semesters. Master class attendance is required. Individual Studies must be arranged with private instructor. Successful completion is by faculty jury.
Prerequisites: Audition and permission of instructor; or successful completion of MUSI 181 or MUSI 182 by faculty jury. Registration in MUSI/lessons requires enrollment in an appropriate MUS large conducted ensemble.
Instructor: Dr. Kristy Slominski (slominski@arizona.edu)
Schedule: In-person on Tuesdays 9:30am-10:45am, the rest online!
Credits: 3
Description: This course is designed to offer tools for engaging religious and cultural diversity within healthcare settings, which includes consideration of religious patients, religious healthcare workers, faith-based healthcare institutions, and the impact of religious communities on healthcare laws and services. To develop skills for navigating intercultural differences, students will practice applying academic approaches to religion to health-related case studies.
This is a CURE course, so students will engage in online research that contributes to understandings of religious contributions to healthcare in Tucson!
Prerequisites: None
Instructors: Dr. Jennifer Kirkpatrick (kirkpatrickj@arizona.edu) and Dr. Jina Yoon (jinayoon@arizona.edu)
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00am-12:15pm
Credits: 3
Description: This course is designed for students to develop an applied understanding of social science/educational research conducted by School Psychologists related to social emotional development of school aged children. Topics covered include an introduction to current literature on behavioral, social, and emotional development for children and adolescents, with an emphasis on trauma and stress among youth from underrepresented backgrounds. Literature on resilience and positive development will also be introduced. Along with an exploration of research, the course offers an introduction to the tools necessary to engage in research including literature searches, research methods, data collection, basic data analyses. Students will learn to interpret results and apply findings to practice in schools. Through a guided research experience, students will identify a research question, analyze data, and interpret results for application to the school community. Students will learn about methods for dissemination of findings by preparing a professional poster and presenting their research findings and implications to an audience of peers and university community.
Prerequisites: None