Undergraduate Research

Independent Study/Honors Thesis in COGS

COGS majors can complete research-based independent studies and/or an honors thesis. See here for more.

CURF (Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships)

CURF is here to help you in your research journey at Penn. We’re an advising office providing support to all undergraduates – from students who are still trying to figure out where their interests lie to those who have been doing research for years. Some of the services we offer include:

  • Individual advising appointments
  • Fall Research Expo with hundreds of students sharing their research (a great opportunity to learn about the breadth of undergraduate research at Penn!) – September 19, 2022, 5-6:30pm in Houston Hall
  • Research Peer Advising: keep an eye out for an email inviting you to sign up to be matched with one of our experienced RPAs
  • A weekly newsletter with announcements about research and fellowship opportunities and reminders about upcoming events and deadlines
  • Information sessions on topics such as Getting Started in Research and Applying for Grants, among many others

MindCORE Summer Fellowship Program

The MindCORE Summer Fellowship Program is a paid 10-week program for both Penn and non-Penn undergraduate students. Summer Fellows are matched with select MindCORE faculty in interdisciplinary mind and brain studies based on student research interest and mentor preference. With their mentors, students embark on a research project shaped as much as possible by their interests. Click here for more.

Research Assistant Training Program

MindCORE and the undergraduate program in cognitive science will offer a 6 week mini-course to train undergraduates to be research assistants in cognitive science (RATP, Research Assistant Training Program). This course covers every aspect of research, from hypothesis generation to writing/disseminating results. It is a great way to (a) get a sense of what research involves, (b) get skills that will be useful in doing research, and therefore (c) make you better prepared to join a lab or research group as a research assistant.

This course is usually offered mid-semester every semester, and is advertised a few weeks into the semester. See here for more information.