Undergraduate research is a valuable opportunity for students to engage in scholarly and creative activities under the guidance of faculty mentors.
ACURA is Opportunity
- Collaborate closely with a faculty mentor on a hands-on project and/or creative work over the course of two or three semesters.
- Receive academic credit each semester for research activity.
- Gain valuable research, technical, and artistic experience for more advanced levels of scholarly work and to build your resume.
- Present your research findings at the annual ACURA Poster Fair and, if eligible, at other Penn State research fairs and/or at local or national research conferences.
- Publish your original work and discoveries in partnership with your research mentor and attend conferences.
- Ask your faculty mentor serve as a reference for employment or graduate school.
How Do I Begin?
Step 1: Find a Faculty Mentor
You can find ongoing research projects on the ACURA web page - Undergraduate Research Projects or attend the ACURA Information Session at the beginning of the semester. Faculty may announce projects in class or through the student email. You may also initiate a research or creative project and contact a faculty member to discuss mentoring your project.
Step 2: Discuss Expectations with Your Mentor
Faculty will establish a one-to-one mentorship and hold weekly/bi-weekly meetings during the semester. The syllabus and expectations should be clear.
Step 3: Register for an ACURA Course
Your faculty mentor will register you for an ACURA course each semester once it has been determined that you have the necessary qualifications and you commit to working for either two or three-semesters.
A two-semester ACURA course bears 3 credits, and a three-semester course bears 4 credits. Faculty will decide if it is a 200-level or 400-level course, and they will assign a grade at the end of each semester.
Graded Course (e.g., Soc 294, EE 494)
- Two-semester option: Fall (1 credit) + Spring (2 credits)
- Three-semester option: Spring (1 credit) + Fall (1 credit) + Spring (2 credits)
Step 4: Complete Your Project and Prepare for the ACURA Fair
All ACURA students are expected to participate in the ACURA Fair in April. This includes attending the ACURA poster workshop, preparing the poster, presenting the poster at the fair, and preparing the recorded introduction for the ACURA Online Platform.
Important to Know
Upon receiving authorization from the ACURA coordinator, students may undertake multiple ACURA projects during a single cycle (two or three semesters).
Penn State will enforce a charge for any student registered for more than 19 credits per semester. Students may choose to do a project without receiving course credit. This should be discussed by the student and the faculty mentor, and the faculty mentor can register the student with zero credits. All ACURA students will be grouped in the “ACURA” student group and be given the same rights and privileges as those students registered for credit, including the invitation to present at the poster fair.