Mentored Research

CLAS students gain research experience as early as their first year鈥攚orking alongside a faculty mentor.

Faculty-mentored research is critical to the student experience at 奶糖直播. Working on research projects during both the academic year and the summer, faculty encourage their students to take their findings a step farther and to answer important questions. Our students attend major academic conferences, present their work at 奶糖直播 or industry-specific research events, and publish in academic journals. These opportunities are made possible through a variety of programs and funding opportunities.

External Grant Support

Our CLAS faculty are currently working on critical research projects funded by both private and national entities, including the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Archives and Records Administration, among others. These substantial grants enable professors to involve more students in their work.

Department and Disciplinary Opportunities

奶糖直播 Social Sciences Apprenticeship

The 奶糖直播 Social Sciences Apprenticeship (VSSA) program provides summer research opportunities for students interested in the social sciences. Students assist in faculty research projects and participate in a weekly research colloquium designed to help them contextualize their research experiences. Apprenticeships are paid and come with opportunities for support for room and board. Open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors. .

Department-specific opportunities

Our faculty are committed to helping students learn through research and hands-on experience. Academic departments offer additional research opportunities and support. Interested students are encouraged to contact research advisors, or the departments, to inquire about such opportunities.

University Research Programs

STORIES OF DISCOVERY

STUDYING STRESS IN DNA

Matthew Domanico 鈥�24 CLAS, Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience major with minors in Psychology and Spanish, focused his research on something every college student can relate to: stress. His collaboration with his advisor, Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Benjamin Sachs, PhD, led to a fascinating project on the sex differences in stress-induced alterations of DNA methylation. 鈥淧revious research has shown that, in general, females are more susceptible to negative effects of stress,鈥� shares Matthew.

PASSION FOR ASTROPHYSICS

The stars aligned for Kaitlyn Parrinello 鈥�24 CLAS, Astronomy and Astrophysics and Italian Studies double major, during a summer in Trieste, Italy, where she was able to blend her passions for science and language, researching on behalf of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics. Reflecting on her studies, Kaitlyn is most proud of her research project with advisor Joey Neilsen, PhD, assistant professor of Physics, on X-ray binary systems called GRS 1915+105.

"CARING TO CARE"

Sarah Cotteta 鈥�24 CLAS did her senior research project on 鈥淐aring to Care: An Evaluation of Elderly Healthcare in the United States.鈥� Her interest in elderly healthcare in the United States grew during her first year of college as an EMT. Responding to various nursing homes, she witnessed both exemplary care and shortcomings in different facilities. 鈥淒espite healthcare鈥檚 considerable progress in adopting a holistic approach to patient care, exemplified by the biopsychosocial model, nursing home care seems to lag behind.鈥�

A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Lauren Arnold 鈥�25 CLAS is pursuing a research career focused on the intersection of human health and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged populations. As a first-year student, Lauren worked with Steven Goldsmith, PhD, Geography and the Environment. She also completed research with Jennifer Santoro, PhD, and Michele Gandy from the department to collect high-resolution drone imagery and process geographic information system visualizations for the Riverbend Education Center in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.

LITERATURE THAT INSPIRES

鈥淚鈥檝e never been exposed to Filipino literature before and it鈥檚 so cool to see my own culture being represented on the page, something that I always wish I had when I was younger,鈥� says Matt Villanueva 鈥�24 MA, English. Matt鈥檚 graduate thesis on Filipino literature is inspired by his desire to create more accessibility and representation in scholarship. In addition to his personal research, Matt was a research assistant for Taught by Literature, led by English Professor Jean Lutes, PhD.

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