{"id":16,"date":"2012-10-11T14:54:35","date_gmt":"2012-10-11T19:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/curi\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2026-08-06T14:10:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:10:22","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/curi\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About the Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection><p><strong><ins><a name=\"WHATISCURI\"><\/a>What is &#8220;CURI&#8221;?<\/ins><\/strong><br \/>\nThe St. Olaf Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) program provides opportunities for St. Olaf students\u00a0<strong>of all academic disciplines<\/strong> to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular subject. There are a variety of CURI programs, most of which support faculty-mentored work in a scholarly or artistic setting, but there are also opportunities for students to do independent work.<\/p>\n<p>CURI promotes student research and inquiry during the academic year and the summer. Throughout the experience, students gain insight and learn about how scholarship is performed in the discipline of their choice. The program is also a good time for students to reflect and further evaluate where their skills, interests, and values best fit with their future professional endeavors.<\/p>\n<p>CURI&#8217;s summer research program involves 80-120 students who work together with faculty on faculty-initiated scholarly and artistic projects. Each year the project results are presented during the CURI Fall Showcase in October. Browse our multimedia <a href=\"https:\/\/digital.stolaf.edu\/curi\/\">database<\/a> of past projects to learn more about the wide variety of work in which St. Olaf students have engaged.<\/p>\n<p>CURI&#8217;s academic year research program involves well over 100 students working part-time on faculty-initiated projects. These can be one semester experiences, one year, or even longer.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1HxCV0VSGp5kzaY7SYYZSfZ2VDHICBdpDO72gIe6r6do\/edit?usp=sharing\">Click here<\/a> for a quick rundown of all CURI programs and their anticipated deadlines.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3bea28\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Why undergraduate research and inquiry?\"    >Why undergraduate research and inquiry?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3bea28\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Learn firsthand about the excitement and opportunity involved in research and inquiry.<\/li>\n<li>Gain new insight into a potential discipline, allowing a student to confirm or reconsider their professional interests.<\/li>\n<li>Become familiar with the kinds of questions pursued by scholars in a particular discipline and participate in examining them.<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3beae7\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"What is the difference between research and inquiry?\"    >What is the difference between research and inquiry?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3beae7\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><br \/>\nThere are many different models for collaborative faculty-student work. Many people imagine scientists in lab coats testing hypotheses when they hear the word &#8220;research,&#8221; yet scholars across the natural and social sciences, humanities and arts all conduct research, guided by the conventions of their own fields.\u00a0&#8220;Inquiry&#8221; signals that we recognize and celebrate the variety of rigorous exploration, investigation and creative processes pursued by artists and scholars, beyond hypothesis testing and empirical data gathering.<\/div>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3beb1f\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"What will I learn through undergraduate research with CURI?\"    >What will I learn through undergraduate research with CURI?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3beb1f\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Our intended learning outcomes include:<\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The ability to recognize and articulate meaningful questions in the chosen area of study.<\/li>\n<li>The ability to conduct research using methods appropriate to the field(s) of study.<\/li>\n<li>The ability to find and interpret scholarly and creative works relevant to their project.<\/li>\n<li>The ability to explain the research project and present the results to a variety of audiences.<\/li>\n<li>The ability to work collaboratively.<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3beb4b\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Who is eligible for CURI programming?\"    >Who is eligible for CURI programming?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3beb4b\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><br \/>\nEach CURI program has its own eligibility requirements, but generally a student must be currently enrolled or continuing at the college, and not graduated. There are no GPA requirements that must be met in order to apply for any of the programs, but a student\u2019s academic record will be considered during the selection process. <\/div>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3beb73\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"How do I find out about research opportunities at St. Olaf?\"    >How do I find out about research opportunities at St. Olaf?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3beb73\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Talk to faculty members and see if they are working on any research projects or other areas of inquiry. In some instances, there are posters hanging in the halls that display recent projects, giving students a better idea of what field of study the professor specializes in.<\/li>\n<li>Information about programs and deadlines are included in student newsletters and posted to the CURI website.<\/li>\n<li>Academic year opportunities are posted to Oracle.<\/li>\n<li>Some departments and programs offer <em>Directed Undergraduate Research<\/em> (DUR) courses (listed as 396 in the Class and Lab), and some individual faculty members offer Independent Study (298) and Independent Research (398) courses. Students are encouraged to discuss these opportunities with associated faculty, as there are typically a low maximum number of students.<\/li>\n<li>Each spring, students who have successfully completed Stat 272 are invited to apply to be fellows in the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CIR) for the following academic year.\u00a0More information on the CIR is available at <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/cir\/\">https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/cir\/<\/a>.<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3beb9d\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"How do I find out about research opportunities outside of St. Olaf?\"    >How do I find out about research opportunities outside of St. Olaf?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3beb9d\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Talk to faculty members to see if they know of any summer programs that could be of interest. Faculty may have various connections with outside institutions or know of students who have completed research in the past that the inquiring student could get in touch with.<\/li>\n<li>Look outside faculty members\u2019 doors for postings regarding experiences offered on and off campus<\/li>\n<li>Explore websites of other colleges and universities. Use key words such as &#8220;summer undergraduate research&#8221; to see if another college or university offers summer research programs to students affiliated with outside institutions. (Note: Make sure to check the eligibility requirements for each program! (Examples of requirements include GPA and class year.)<\/li>\n<li>Many research programs in the sciences are funded by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/funding\/initiatives\/reu\">National Science Foundation<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3bebda\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"What is expected of me as an undergraduate research student?\"    >What is expected of me as an undergraduate research student?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Frequent communication with collaborators, whether that be faculty members or other students working on the same project<\/li>\n<li>Ability to work in team-oriented settings with other students when applicable<\/li>\n<li>Self-motivation to guide progress of research<\/li>\n<li>Summer:\n<ul>\n<li>By the end of the summer, students should have a poster and\/or presentation ready to display and demonstrate the work that they completed over the summer<\/li>\n<li>Conducting research or inquiry for up to 40 hours\/week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Semester\/Academic Year:\n<ul type=\"circle\">\n<li>Meeting with faculty and\/or other research team members one or more times per week<\/li>\n<li>All students involved in undergraduate research are strongly encouraged to disseminate the results of their work by presenting at a conference. Depending on a student&#8217;s financial need (as determined by the Financial Aid Office) and funds availability, CURI can provide up to $1000 of a student\u2019s cost to travel to and participate in a conference.<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3bec2c\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Will I be paid?\"    >Will I be paid?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3bec2c\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Summer:<\/strong> Yes \u2013 students are paid taxable wages; each project application has details about pay rate and hours.\u00a0 CURI students receive housing support if they live on campus.<br \/>\n<strong>Academic Year:<\/strong>\u00a0 CURI-sponsored projects are paid at the same rate as summer students, but these students do not also receive academic credit for their work. Conversely, students enrolled in 396 (DUR) or 398 (IR) courses receive academic credit but are not paid wages.<\/div>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3bec54\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Can I take a summer school course and do research?\"    >Can I take a summer school course and do research?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3bec54\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><br \/>\nThe answer depends on how many hours and weeks a student is doing research during the summer, but is often <strong>no<\/strong>. Students should not take a summer school course if they are doing full-time research (30-40 hours per week) during a summer session. If a student is interested in taking a St. Olaf summer school course while employed as a summer researcher, the student should work with their faculty supervisor to write a proposal that describes how the student will meet both the course and research demands.\u00a0The proposal is submitted to the CURI Director, who will confer with the supervising faculty member before approving the request.<\/div>\n<p><strong><span class=\"collapseomatic \" id=\"id6a7df5e3bec7a\"  tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Can I receive academic credit for mentored undergraduate research?\"    >Can I receive academic credit for mentored undergraduate research?<\/span><div id=\"target-id6a7df5e3bec7a\" class=\"collapseomatic_content \"><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Yes.<\/strong> During the academic year, you can enroll in a Directed Undergraduate Research (DUR) courses with a variety of departments to earn credit, or enroll in Independent Study or Independent Research courses with an individual faculty member for credit. Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CIR) participants also earn credit. Summer and academic year CURI researchers, however, do not earn credit.<\/div>\n<p><!-- begin-migrated-from-panel-builder --><!-- end-migrated-from-panel-builder --><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is &#8220;CURI&#8221;? 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