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Research Directory for Undergraduates
A Few Words on Research Experience
The Pilot Curriculum Major
Overview of the Pilot Curriculum

Our Modest Goal for this Research Requirement

As a student in the Pilot Curriculum, you are expected to find an opportunity, normally in the context of the major, to involve yourself in the practice of research. The point of this requirement is not to lay on pilot students a mandate to create new knowledge, such as is demanded of candidates for masters or doctoral degrees. Although indeed some of you will end up doing just that. Rather the objective is to enable you to participate in the process by which knowledge in the field you have studied most closely is discovered and validated. In this process, you will experience directly the effort that goes into formulating a testable hypothesis or interpretive thesis and then gathering evidence and developing an argument that is relevant to verifying the hypothesis or thesis. You will come to appreciate not only the powers of discovery and discernment exercised by researchers in your field but also the limitations within which they work and that qualify any claims to knowledge they can legitimately make on the basis of their investigations.

Does it have to be in your major?

In most cases, you will fulfill this requirement in the context of your major. That is only to be expected, because your major is normally the field in which you have the most extensive knowledge, the deepest interest, and the best command of the methods and analytical tools for scholarly research. In some instances, students might take the knowledge and skills developed in their major and apply them to an investigation that takes place outside the department of your major. For instance, an economics major might bring the tools of macroeconomic analysis to bear on an historical topic and might find supervision from a faculty member in the South Asian Studies department. Or a biology major’s research might well take place within the larger research program of a professor in the medical school. What would probably make no sense is if someone were to seek to do research in a field in which he or she had not already done considerable work at a level consistent with what one does in one’s major. For instance, it would probably not be appropriate for an English major, on the strength of just a few introductory courses in the sciences, to seek to fulfill the requirement with a research project in a biochemistry lab.

Your Expectations

What we are asking of you is framed more fruitfully in terms of the process in which you will engage than in terms of something you produce to complete a graduation requirement. That process will vary considerably depending on the field in which you do your research. For that reason, your chief responsibility is to open your mind to ideas and questions that are current in your field of study and that you would like to investigate further. Your success in completing this project and your personal fulfillment in doing it will depend on your finding a topic that interests you and a person at Penn who can provide guidance to you as you pursue it.

As you advance through your major, think about questions or ideas that interest you and find out which persons at Penn can provide guidance to you as you define your topic and carry out your research.

1. Follow up with faculty or TAs that you’ve had in class. Was there a particular topic that interested you? What kind of research are they doing? How did they get started? Do you want to do research with them? Can they refer you to a colleague?

2. Consult with your major advisor and/or undergraduate chair to discuss your ideas, research opportunities available to you, and possible faculty who can offer guidance in the specific area of your research. Be sure to identify yourself as a student in the pilot curriculum.

3. Talk to students: Departmental UAB (undergraduate advisory board) or MAP (Major Advising Program) representatives. Do seniors in your major department give presentations in the spring? If so, try to attend departmental research presentations (check the Penn calendar and departmental web site) or events such as Perspectives in Humanities/ Penn Humanities or the Biology department's Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Biology.

4. Identify your topic, which will normally take the form of a question that you will investigate.

5. Identify a faculty member to supervise your research. Note that this person can be different from your major advisor.

6. Identify prerequisites that will prepare you for doing this research. These include methods courses offered in your major or in related majors, major seminars, courses or other experiences where you can learn relevant skills such as laboratory techniques, statistics, or working with bibliographic materials.

7. Will your work take place in the context of a regular course or an independent study? If so, make arrangements to sign up through the relevant department.

8. Prepare and submit to your faculty supervisor your completed research project. Majors in the creative arts (Fine Arts, Architecture) will normally do a creative or design project.

9. Projects are evaluated and approved by your major department. In exceptional cases where your project is conducted in an area unrelated to your major, the Penn department related to the area in which you are engaging in research will evaluate and approve your work. The College Office does not evaluate pilot research projects.

Note: In a number of majors in the College, research is built into the undergraduate program. These include:

African Studies
Africana Studies
Architecture
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Biochemistry
Cinema Studies
East Asian Languages and Civilizations
Environmental Studies
Fine Arts
French Studies
Health and Societies
Hispanic Studies
International Relations
International Studies
Italian Studies
Near East Languages and Civilizations
Philosophy, Politics & Economics (**Class of 2008 only**)
Psychology
Romance Languages (dual)
Sociology
Urban Studies
Visual Studies
Women’s Studies

In most other majors, specific courses offering research experience are readily available for students seeking this opportunity. Examples include:

Biological Basis of Behavior: BIBB 399
Biology: BIOL 399
Geology: GEOL 499, GEOL 360, GEOL 299 and others
Physics and Astronomy: PHYS 299, ASTR 399
History: Most 200-level seminars, of which two are required of all majors
Since most majors offer independent study courses that could be tailored to satisfy the pilot research requirement, it is advisable for students interested in research to consult with the undergraduate chair of the relevant department to explore avenues for research.

Also, any approved or honors thesis option within a major will offer the kind of research experience intended in the Pilot Curriculum.

If you have difficulty finding a natural path leading to research within your major, discuss with your advisor what special arrangements you will need to make.

Finally, you may also make an appointment with Godlove Fonjweng or Niel McDowell, Assistant Deans for Advising, or with Ada Obrea, Assistant Director of Advising Services and Academic Support, in the College Office who will help you make the contacts with faculty who can work with you.

Resources & Opportunities for Research

Career Services: Visit the Career Services website at http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/

CURF:
The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, located in the Arch, at 36th Street and Locust Walk, offers resources for students seeking involvement in research. You are encouraged to peruse the Center’s database of research opportunities for undergraduates and attend weekly student lunch research presentations.

Library Research Staff:
In addition to faculty in your field, staff in the library can be an invaluable source of assistance as you acquire the skills needed to do your research. Go to the reference desk in Van Pelt Library or check the online reference services available on the library’s web site or contact staff member, Laurie Allen for assistance.

Useful Research-Related Penn Websites:
http://www.upenn.edu/researchdir/
http://www.upenn.edu/research/FundingUnder.htm
http://www.upenn.edu/research/CandI.htm

Other Campus Resources:
Kelly Writers House
Center for Community Partnerships Offers academically based community service (ABCS) courses plus summer internships
The Archives, underneath Franklin Field

Summer Research Opportunities:
In the Sciences
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (NSF-REU)
These allow you to go anywhere in the country and do research usually the summer after junior or sophomore year. Typical stipend is $3,000 for 10 weeks.
SUNFEST
LRSM
NASA

In the Humanities
National Endowment for The Humanities (deadline early Jan)
Smithsonian

Presentation and Publication: Sharing Your Research Experience Knowledge

CwiC (Communication within the Curriculum)
Œconomica Undergraduate Journal of the Department of Economics
Journal of International Relations
Journal of Young Investigators (JYI) On-line science journal dedicated to publishing excellent undergraduate research papers and feature-type science articles covering all fields of science
Penn History Review
Penn Science
Penn Undergraduate Philosophy Journal (PUPJ)
SURB (Symposium on Undergraduate Research in Biology) usually scheduled on the first reading day of the spring semester
University Scholars

Research Experience Resources and Opportunities compiled by Linda Wiedmann, Associate Director of the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program.