FURP: Freshman Undergraduate Research Program
Application Deadline: Extended to November 13, 2011
The FURP Program at University Park offers research experiences in Penn State's most exciting and prestigious labs in the Colleges Earth and Mineral Sciences, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Development, Liberal Arts. and Eberly College of Science.
This is your chance to do research for pay while investigating various fields of study. If you are a freshman, FURP can offer you a low-risk chance to do research before making any life changing decisions about your major. FURP offers you a way to enhance your research skills as well as provide an avenue where you can learn more about your major. FURP provides students with a learning experience that closely resembles how science and engineering are done in the real world.
This highly competitive program is looking for freshmen men and women students at Penn State majoring in Science, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Education, Engineering, Health and Human Development, Liberal Arts (Psychology or Anthropology) or currently in DUS. Also, you must be able to work at least five hours a week in the lab. Please note: U.S. citizenship is required.
FURP is a one-year research experience program. Upon selection, research occurs in the Spring and Fall semesters (summer semester is optional). A $400 stipend is provided both Spring and Fall semesters.
During your FURP assignment, you will work closely with a research team, which normally consists of a Penn State faculty member as well as several graduate students. You will learn the language of research and how to use high-tech equipment. You will also learn how to work safely and efficiently in the laboratory. You will attend lab meetings, participate in discussions, prepare posters as well as collect data. You may even have the opportunity to attend professional conferences or travel off-site to do field work. You will also find out how those physics and chemistry formulas you learned in class are useful in research.
You will discover that science is not only listening to lectures but teamwork, which requires communications skills, initiative, imagination, patience, and creativity.
This is not just bottle washing or busy work - FURP students often have their own projects or work closely with graduate students to collect important data for the lab. This is not necessarily a one-way street. You may already have skills that make your expertise valuable to the lab.
Application Process
The first step of the application process is to read the descriptions of available laboratory research opportunities posted here. You can select up to three labs that match your interests. The more labs you select, the better your chance of being accepted into FURP. Once you have read the descriptions and decided on your lab selections, you can apply using the online application. Participating faculty will be notified of your interest and may choose to interview preferred candidates. If selected, you will work in one research lab for both spring and fall semesters.
Decisions will be made by the end of Fall 2011 semester.
Application Deadline: November 13, 2011
Undergraduate Research Laboratory Listing
The principal funder for FURP is NASA through The Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Office.
Please contact us for more information.
Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium
Penn State University
2217 Earth-Engineering Sciences Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-865-2535
Fax: 814-863-9563
spacegrant@psu.edu
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