Undergraduate Research
At Luther, we understand that textbooks and lectures can only take you so far. In fact, we tend to think that the best learning happens when you get your hands dirty. Whether that involves performing open-heart surgery on a rat, painting sets for a student performance of the play you wrote, or paging through stacks of old newspapers in search of the article that will prove your thesis, engaging in research allows you to delve more deeply into the life of your discipline.
Research at Luther can mean many things: laboratory-based research in the sciences, field experiences in the social sciences and humanities, creative production and performance in music, theatre and the visual arts, and academic projects across the disciplines. All students complete a senior project based on individual research in their major field. Most students also engage in some sort of course-based, faculty-directed, or independent research.
All Luther faculty members conduct research in their fields of expertise and involve students in that work, helping them to hone their research skills and focus their areas of interest. There are several programs that provide special opportunities for student research support, funding for travel to conferences to present research, and collaborative research with faculty:
Academic Administrative Assistantships
These assistantships allow students to do research and develop professional skills in their major field of study in paid work positions during the academic year or over the summer.
Honors Grants
The Honors Advisory Committee offers grants to juniors and seniors who undertake independent research or creative projects. Students with 3.0 GPAs in their majors may apply for grants to cover research expenses, as well as travel costs for presenting research at conferences.
Summer Faculty/Student Collaborative Research Grants
These grants provide free room and a two-month stipend to students who spend the summer working on a joint research project with a Luther faculty member.
