Student Research and Engaged Learning
Stand apart and grow through research
From the moment you arrive on campus, you have access to a wide range of opportunities to engage in undergraduate research and creative work that enriches your learning and enhances your career preparedness. You’ll be able to pursue your interests through class-based research, faculty mentored investigations, independent research, and creative inquiries across a variety of disciplines.
Elevate your degree and job prospects
When you participate in scholarly and creative work, you're not just adding to your resume—though employers and graduate schools will certainly take notice. You'll also cultivate a deeper understanding of your academic areas, become confident in your creativity and independence, build upon your communication skills, and develop strong mentoring relationships with professionals in your fields.
Explore research and experiential learning in the classroom
Starting in your first semester, you’ll engage in inquiry-driven projects in a variety of disciplines, from studio artwork to laboratory research, from creative writing to public health research, and beyond. You’ll develop hands-on, career-relevant projects as part of your regular courses, solving real-life problems, creating scripts and artwork, collecting and analyzing data, and collaborating with researchers around the world.
I'm working with Professor Betsy Martinez-Vaz on a mutant research project. I'm really looking forward to it—Betsy is super passionate about what she does. So many students in the past have worked on this project, and all of our work is coming together."
Engage in summer collaborative research
No matter your area of study, you can participate in Hamline’s summer collaborative research program, where you’ll work one-on-one with faculty on interlinked research projects or work in teams on a range of faculty research projects.
When you participate in summer collaborative research projects, you might:
- Examine microbial flora for potential anti-cancer drugs
- Develop policies on natural resource management
- Investigate how genetics and environment influence human development across a lifetime
- Use nanoscale materials to test methods of water quality monitoring in rural and urban communities
Pursue your passion with an independent project
You can develop and pursue your own projects with faculty support through independent studies, creative and capstone projects, honors theses, or study abroad.
Highlights of recent projects include:
- A faculty collaboration that studied the roots of mass shootings and designed programs to prevent school violence
- Co-editing and publishing the BFA in creative writing’s annual award-winning undergraduate online literary magazine, Runestone
- An examination of how movements for social change have invented communication methods that integrate journalism and performance to engage contemporary audiences
- Traveling to field stations around the world to study the effects of climate change and the solutions that local governments have created
Present at regional and national conferences
Hamline students present their work to the Hamline community, at the state level, and around the country. Hamline is one of the best-represented institutions at the annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and is frequently recognized by the Council on Undergraduate Research as one of the top institutions sending students to this conference. Many departments also support students in presenting their work at scholarly conferences throughout the academic year.
Present at Hamline’s annual research symposium
Contact information
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Leif Hembre, professor, biology department chair, co-director of collaborative research
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Sharon Preves, professor of sociology, co-director of collaborative research