What is Research?

One of the biggest advantages of attending a large public university like UIC is that you have access to the best scholars in the world! Take advantage of this by conducting research with them. Each year, hundreds of professors conduct research in various fields, so it is easy to find projects that are relevant to your interests.

Undergraduate research involves directed or independent work, mentored by a faculty member or other researcher in business, education, engineering, the humanities, architecture and the arts, the natural sciences, health sciences and medicine, linguistics, social work, occupational therapy, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, public health, mathematics, social sciences, urban planning, and more. As an assistant, you might do any number of tasks, depending upon the project, such as searching for relevant literature, distributing surveys, interviewing people, conducting laboratory or field experiments, entering and verifying data, analyzing data, writing reports, etc. You might also share your findings with other students and researchers.

Note: If the project you are working on involves human subjects, you may need to complete the Institutional Review Board (IRB) required training. Ask your research mentor whether this is required.