Undergraduate Research
Experiential learning and research for undergraduates are at the core of our university’s mission, as it combines faculty mentoring with student achievement and offers opportunities for our undergraduates to explore and learn. Engaging students in research, scholarship, and/or creative activities not only fosters intellectual curiosity but also enhances skill development, equipping them with the ability to tackle complex problems.
Undergraduate research at Wentworth takes place in different formats:
- Research co-ops
- In-class research/research classes
- Individual projects with faculty mentors
- Graduate Fellowships (e.g. for Architecture majors)
Benefits of the Undergraduate Research Initiative
Expanding Research Skills
- supports personal and professional growth
- includes: analyzing information and data, developing claims, identifying evidence, drawing conclusions
- leads to informed decision-making and possible innovation
- prepares for future graduate work
Encouraging Interdisciplinarity
- supports collaborative and interdisciplinary learning and knowledge generation
- enables students to experience projects across disciplines making connections outside of their major and school
- pushes disciplinary boundaries; allows the creation of new knowledge
Fostering Collaboration and Networking
- undergraduate research supports collaboration among students, faculty, and industry partners, creating a dynamic framework of diverse perspectives to tackle complex challenges
- the initiative enables students to join existing networks of scholarly research and applied research in industry, practice, and academia
Goals and Objectives
Hands-on Learning: Provide students with practical, hands-on experience, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems and to deepen their understanding of a specific subject area or topic within their field of study.
Career Exploration: Help students in exploring their interests and different career paths within their field of study and empower them to make well-informed decisions regarding their future career aspirations by Providing them with opportunities to gain research experience which will give them a taste of whether they would like to consider further education (such as graduate school), work in academia, industry, or government research.
Skill Development: Help students to conduct independent research, including formulating research questions, designing experiments or methodologies and to develop skills that employers are looking for such as critical thinking, problem-solving, data analysis, and communication skills by effectively presenting their research findings.
Collaboration and Mentorship: Help students to develop teamwork and collaboration skills by working closely with fellow researchers, interdisciplinary teams, and with faculty members who serve as mentors by providing guidance, support, and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
Events
Academic Excellence Showcase
Celebrating the academic excellence and achievements of students, faculty, and staff.
March 13, 2025
Innovation Scholar Program
Coming Summer 2025
Connect
Faculty Fellow: Dr.-Ing. Anne-Catrin Schultz contact: schultza@wit.edu
UG Research Council:
Allison Lange (School of Sciences and Humanities)
Mary Machado (School of Engineering)
Stephanie Rufino (School of Architecture and Design)
Rachel Maitra (School of Computing and Data Science)
Kushagra Varma (School of Management)
