Undergraduate Research

Research is any independent study within a given field of interest. Students can conduct their own research projects or work on a faculty's ongoing research project. Research can be conducted in all disciplines -- Social Sciences, Humanities, or STEM fields. In the STEM fields, a large portion of research is conducted through laboratory work. The head of a research project is usually known as the Principal Investigator (PI). The PI is often the supervisor of student researchers, as they are the head of the lab and conducting the research project students are helping with. 

Conducting research is a great way to gain experience outside of the classroom, explore your areas of interest, foster collaboration skills with your peers, learn research procedures and protocol in a specific discipline, and provide relevant experience for students interested in pursuing graduate school. Here are some other benefits of research: 

• Get to work closely with our prestigious faculty on their award-winning research
• Find out if a career in research or your field of study is right for you!
• Earn major credit for your work
• Build meaningful relationships and mentorship from faculty and your other lab members

Read below to learn how to get involved in research!

Here are some great resources for looking for research opportunities on campus: 

1. Undergraduate Research Assistance Directory (URAD): This tool, put together by UCSB’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA), helps students sift through available student researcher positions in departments across campus. Students can filter by Department, Faculty name, and duration of the research. Keep in mind that this resource is NOT COMPREHENSIVE. There are additional research opportunities at UCSB that aren’t being advertised on this database, but it’s a great place to start your search. 
2. ESMAIL: Occasionally, research opportunities will be posted on the ESMail, so make sure to read every ESMail when you see it in your inbox!
3. Talk to Your Professors: Professors often hire students from their undergraduate classes to help them on their research projects, and some will advertise them to their classes. The best method of getting ahold of professors to talk about their research is by going to their office hours. This is a great time to ask your professors more about what they study and if they have any availability in their labs/open research positions. Don’t be alarmed if they say no! Sometimes professors may already have enough researchers or require specific skills or coursework before students can work with them. 
4. Talk to your TA's!: TA’s also frequently conduct research on this campus, and they’re oftentimes working in different labs than those of the professors they TA for. Again, going to TA office hours is a great way to learn more about their research and ask about undergraduate research opportunities they may know of. Finding research opportunities in a lot of ways is just networking! 
5. Explore Departmental People Page’s To Learn More about What Faculty are Researching: If none of your professor’s or TA’s research interests you, you can refer to the People page on the Environmental Studies website, or any other department you may be interested in, to see what the faculty are studying. If a faculty member's research appeals to you, then you can reach out to inquire about available research opportunities (see below). 
6. Cold email professors!: Once you’ve found a professor’s research that interests you, you can email the professor and ask if they have any available research opportunities. URCA has a fantastic template to draft your email to a professor on their “Getting Started” page. If the professor doesn’t respond within 5 business days, feel free to send them another email. Professors get lots of emails and your email might have gotten lost. Don’t hesitate to follow up! 
7. Talk to other students!: Chances are, a number of students sitting beside you in class are doing interesting research that you may want to get involved in. Don’t be afraid to ask around about research opportunities. A lot of times, student researchers will refer their friends or peers when a new position opens up, or will know of a new position opening up before it’s advertised on the URAD database (or if it’s advertised at all).

Students can receive up to 5 units of academic credit for their research in a given quarter. A maximum of 4 of those units can be applied to major requirements. Students can take a maximum of 30 units of 99/199/199RA credit during their entire college career. 

For ENVST B.A. majors, ENV S 199 and 199RA credit of max 4 units can be applied to the Area B requirements in the student’s upper division. For ENVST B.S. majors, ENV S 199 and ENV S 199RA credit of max 4 units can be applied to the student’s Area B-2 requirements in the upper division. ENV S 99 cannot be applied towards upper division major requirements, but will count towards your overall graduation unit count. 

Learn more about the various research classes Environmental Studies offers below: 

Introduction to Research (ENV S 99) 

Introduction to Research (ENVS 99) is a lower-division course available to lower and upper-division students who wish to conduct entry level directed study under the guidance of an environmental studies faculty member. Course offers motivated students an opportunity to undertake independent or collaborative research for faculty-directed research projects. Topic and scope varies, to be specified by student and their supervisory faculty member prior to registration.

ENV S 99 Application - (PDF)

Independent Studies (ENV S 199) 

The Independent Studies course (ENV S 199) is available every quarter. This variable unit upper-division course is available to students who have a specific topic of interest they would like to research in-depth under the supervision of an Environmental Studies faculty member. The intent of this course is to allow students to investigate a topic covered in a recently completed course in which they would like to learn more about. Environmental Studies will try to accommodate Independent Studies proposals as long as they are supported by a faculty member and the research to be conducted is environmental (see the official course description for restrictions). 

To officially pursue 199 credit, take a rough proposal to an appropriate Environmental Studies faculty member and discuss the possibility of obtaining credit for your proposed research project. If you both agree on the project, then pick up an official ENV S 199 proposal contract, have it signed by your faculty advisor, and return it to the Environmental Studies Academic Coordinator before the end of the 3rd week of the quarter.

ENV S 199 Application - (PDF)

Research Assistant (ENV S 199RA) 

The Research Assistant course (ENV S 199RA) is designed just like the 199 course. The difference is that the main focus of this course is to allow a student to obtain academic credit while assisting an Environmental Studies faculty member in conducting university research. This is a great way for an undergraduate to pick up research experience and learn more about a given environmental field. 

Keep your eyes open for advertised 199RA opportunities or approach any Environmental Studies faculty you might be interested in working with and inquire as to any research opportunities. The enrollment procedure is the same as for the 199 course.

ENV S 199RA Application - (PDF)

Research takes time, but it can also take money. URCA has compiled a list of resources for research funding that students can apply for to support their research endeavors. The main grant that students apply for: 

URCA Grant: Awards undergraduate students up to $750 to pursue their independent research. 

See also URCA’s “Resources for Student Researchers page” for helpful material to guide you in understanding the research process.