This is the place to turn your passion into a project
That’s exactly what Dylan Willard was able to do when his love of skateboarding led him to look into the possibility of recycling skateboard decks. An initial inquiry into whether he could use the facilities at the Brooks Forest Products Center turned into a formal research project in which he created wooden panels made of strips of skateboards and tested the samples for various qualities. As a result of his work, he’s already written and published a research paper with his professor, Joseph Loferski.
You’ll meet plenty of undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Natural Resources and Environment who are doing their own research projects or working with a faculty member. Check out Dylan's video and talk to a faculty member about your own research niche.
Deirdre Conroy, a wildlife conservation major, has built much of her undergraduate career around research. As a freshman, she began working with Professor Marcella Kelly by entering data for a camera trapping project. After completing projects on bat composition and diversity, her next project is a study in Belize on how sustainable logging impacts jaguars.
Meet some of our research partners
Jaguar in Belize, photographed as part of Professor Marcella Kelly’s carnivore research
Trees in the old-growth urban forest at Stadium Woods
Endangered mussels from the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Center
Find your research niche
Our research happens on local, regional, national, and international scales. It’s applied, practical, and often interdisciplinary. And, it focuses on the most important issues of our time. Learn more by checking out opportunities at these centers and institutes:
For graduate students
Independent research is a critical part of the program of study for most graduate students. Check out our list of faculty experts and connect with those who may have projects in your area of interest.