Breakthroughs & Ah-ha Moments
If you had the chance to make a discovery that garners national attention, changes an industry, or helps to improve quality of life for many thousands of people—all stemming from research you launch as a first-year student—would you seize it? At Dartmouth, we provide you with the guidance, the tools, and in many cases, the funding to create breakthrough knowledge in fields ranging from anthropology to zoology and everything in between.
Robust Research Infrastructure
Not every project changes the world, but each project changes the student who pursues it. That's why our professors are so committed to mentoring undergraduates as researchers and coauthors—and why we've created such a robust infrastructure to support the curiosity, drive, and talent of Dartmouth undergraduates.
Undergraduate research creates opportunities for close collaborations between professors and students in one-on-one teaching and mentoring relationships outside the classroom. Through undergraduate research, students acquire first-hand experience in an academic field of research while developing skills such as critical thinking, information processing, and effective communication. Dartmouth students engage in research with faculty in every academic discipline at the College, in the School of Arts & Sciences, as well as at the Geisel School of Medicine, the Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.
Scholars Programs, Undergraduate Research, and Fellowships at Dartmouth (SURFD)
Resources and programs for faculty-mentored research in any academic discipline:
- Part-time research assistantships while students are taking classes
- Full-time research during leave terms
- Multi-term and multi-year programs that provide resources and mentoring for students
- Travel grants to present research at national academic conferences
Many offices on campus offer faculty-mentored research programs in specific areas, such as:
Ethics Institute
Research on applied or professional ethics
Historical Accountability Student Research Program
Research that sheds light on Dartmouth's historical legacy
Hopkins Center
Student projects in the visual and performing arts
Institute of Arctic Studies
Fellowship for Arctic or polar research
Leslie Humanities Center
Research or creative projects in the humanities
Neukom Institute
Research involving computational techniques in any academic discipline
A comprehensive list of programs that provide funding for faculty-mentored research is available on the SURFD website.
