Student Research Opportunities

College of Sciences Undergraduate Research Program

The Undergraduate Research Program serves to engage freshman and sophomores in the College of Sciences in cutting-edge research, providing funding for laboratory supplies and student wages. COSURP seeks to enrich the UNO undergraduate experience by:

1. engaging students at the beginning of their studies at UNO
2. increasing the interaction between undergraduate students and faculty/graduate students
3. building lasting bonds through group educational opportunities and social activities.

Applications open in November for participation in the Spring program. Women and minority students are encouraged to apply. Departments may offer undergraduate research credit for participating students.

Sciences Undergraduate Research Fair (SURF)

SURF is held annually in November to highlight undergraduate research through COSURP and other departmental programs. Undergraduate students who are engaged in active research with faculty are encouraged to present their results in poster or oral presentations. All students are invited to attend the day-long fair to meet student researchers and faculty mentors.

Advanced Materials Research Institute RUE Program

The University of New Orleans (UNO) has sponsored a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site since the summer of 2003. The area of focus is materials science and nanotechnology. The REU Site is affiliated with the interdisciplinary Advanced Materials Research Institute (AMRI) at UNO. Typically, eight students are recruited every year for a ten-week summer research experience. Recruitment efforts focus on undergraduates from historically black colleges and universities in the New Orleans area. The REU Site involves faculty mentors from AMRI and from the Departments of Chemistry, Physics, Biological Sciences, Psychology, and Mechanical Engineering. Undergraduate students participate in research projects within the areas of synthesis, characterization and application of nanoparticles and their composites and assemblies. The student participants also attend scientific and professional development seminars, a session on research ethics, and participate in field trips to local industrial and related sites and in organized social activities.

The Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences Coastal Education Program

The Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences (PIES) Coastal Education Program (CEP) provides teachers and students with unique opportunities to explore and learn about the coastal wetlands of southeastern Louisiana. Our focus is on the values of the wetlands and the issues that face them. Our current funding allows for a limited number of field trips in partnership wtih Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station. The Coastal Education Program CEP at PIES was funded by a grant from the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program. The funded project is titled "How Healthy is this Marsh? Employing Innovative Remote Sensing Techniques for Assessing Marsh Health in Restoration Projects Involving High School Students and Teachers."

Summer Undergraduate Experience Program (SUE)

The UNO Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) funds several SUE proposals each year which supports from 4 to 6 undergraduates with a faculty member(s) conducting research or scholarly activities in their labs or at remote sites over the summer.

Graduate Student Opportunities

Doctoral Improvement Grants (DIG) and Thesis Improvement Grants (TIG)

The UNO Graduate School in collaboration with the UNO ORSP funds grants to UNO graduate students to help them complete their research and finish their thesis or dissertation.