As one of the world’s top environmental science institutions and with public and private funding of more than $173 million annually supporting faculty, staff, and students working on climate, ecology, natural resource management, marine, earth and space processes, opportunities for undergraduates to get involved with research in College of the Environment as early as their freshmen year abound.

Finding research opportunities

One of the best ways to find a research opportunity at UW is to ask a professor whose work you are interested in about opportunities in his or her lab. Talk to your graduate student TA’s to learn about the labs they work in and who they work with. The Undergraduate Research Program also maintains the Research Opportunities Database which has a listing of research opportunities.

FieldNotes Journal

Undergraduate students in our College created this journal to provide undergraduates with diverse ways to share their environmental research and engage a broader community. Visit the FieldNotes website to learn how to get involved. It’s also a great resource for learning about the kinds of research current students are involved with. Plus the photography is phenomenal!

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is one of the largest undergraduate research symposia in the country, with over 1,000 students presenting. Held each spring, the Symposium offers students the opportunity to present their research experiences to a larger audience. Attend the symposium and talk to your peers about the research they’re working on, who they work with and how they got involved.

Mary Gates Research Scholarships

Mary Gates Research Scholarships provide funding for undergraduates to engage in research guided by faculty. The scholarships are designed to support students financially so that they can focus more time and attention on their research project.