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The other half of a great education

UC Santa Barbara is renowned as a research university, and the College’s undergraduates are as much a part of the research community as the faculty and graduate students.

Research offers undergraduates the opportunity to delve deeper into any subject, whether in a science lab, at the library, in the field gathering data or interviewing subjects, or even by making a film. Research opportunities often begin with a student's direct contact with a faculty member: a student may approach a faculty member because of an interest in his/her research field, or outstanding students may be invited by faculty to join their research groups (especially in the sciences). Students may also become involved in research by applying for summer research opportunities such as the Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology Worster Summer Research Awards, the UC LEADS Program, or the Research Internships in Science and Engineering.

A research project may be undertaken as part of regular coursework or as independent study. It may be part of a departmental senior honors program, although research projects are not limited to seniors or members of the College Honors Program. Students may work individually or in groups to complete their research projects. A research project may be the capstone of a student’s undergraduate career, be continued through further research and study in graduate school, or possibly take the student in a new and unknown direction.


Part of the Division of Undergraduate Education, the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities unit  – URCA - provides both guidance and financial support for undergraduates pursuing independent research and creative activities under the guidance of faculty members. URCA also helps students to apply for prestigious scholarships, like the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, that can support research work and graduate study.

For students interested in research, the first step is to approach a faculty member and express an interest in and willingness to become involved in research activities. Students may be familiar with professors through their course work and approach them directly, or they may find interesting contacts and opportunities through the Faculty Research Assistance Program. Through FRAP, students may connect with faculty researchers via an online data base of current research projects. Students apply directly to the faculty members, and if accepted, sign a “research assistance contract” and earn credit for their work. FRAP is an excellent way for undergraduates to work closely with faculty members, gain experience and learn valuable research techniques which they can apply to their own work.

URCA provides funding for UCSB undergraduates, regardless of class standing and college affiliation, to pursue their own research projects leading to a senior thesis or distinction in their major. Students who receive funds from URCA present their work at the annual Undergraduate Research Colloquium, which takes place in May and is open to students from the College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering and the College of Creative Studies. Early in the fall quarter, interested students submit a proposal, budget, and letter of endorsement from the faculty mentor. URCA also organizes grant proposal workshops to assist students with the preparation of their applications and at the same time develop skills that will be useful in future.

In 2009, URCA disbursed $112,000 to 180 students. The 2009 Undergraduate Research Colloquium was the largest ever, with 175 projects covering almost the full range of subjects taught at the University, including: theater and dance (Scenes from the Silver Screen, a multimedia project); psychology (The Effects of Cognitive Dissonance on Social Support Processes in Romantic Relationships); linguistics (Playfulness in Contemporary Mandarin Conversation: The Pragmatic Marker ‘lei’; communication (Entertainment vs. News Television: How Humor Effects Memory Through Emotion); statistics and applied probability (Stochastic Portfolio Theory by Country Market Capitalization); physics (Effects of pH Alteration on Fluorescence of Ag:DNA Molecules in Solution); and biology (Directed Laboratory Evolution of Biomineralizing Enzymes).

Each year the University recognizes the research achievements of three outstanding undergraduates and one outstanding faculty mentor with the prestigious Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research.

The 2009 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research was given to Professor David Valentine (Earth Science). Since arriving at UCSB in 2002 as an assistant professor, he has mentored 29 undergraduates in a variety of projects which resulted in four journal publications and 17 published abstracts. In two of the publications, the first author was an undergraduate. He consistently involves students in his laboratory and field research, and is especially committed to reaching out to students from groups underrepresented in science and those overcoming challenges in their academic careers.