Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry

The St. Olaf Collaborative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) program provides paid opportunities for St. Olaf students of all academic disciplines to gain an in-depth understanding of a particular subject through working closely with a St. Olaf faculty member in a research setting, or working independently. Announcements inviting students to apply for summer research, academic year research, Steen Fellowships, the Rand Scholar Award, and Magnus the Good Collaborative Fellowships are included in student newsletters.  

CURI promotes collaborations between students and faculty during the academic year and summer through five different programs:

1. Our summer program supports mentored undergraduate research across all departments and majors, with variation in availability depending on professors' participation. Most projects are full-time (320-400 hours of work in 8-10 weeks), but some are part-time. Throughout the experience, students learn how research is conducted in a specific field. The program offers students opportunities to reflect and further evaluate where their skills, interests, and values best fit with their future professional endeavors. A student interested in applying for the summer research must be enrolled as a St. Olaf student and be a rising sophomore, junior, or senior. There is no GPA requirement that must be met in order to apply for the program, but a student’s academic record will be considered during the selection process.
2. Academic year CURI research has many of the same benefits as our summer program, but students are limited to working 10 hours per week on projects designed and mentored by St. Olaf faculty members.
3. Steen Fellowships support students engaged in independent research projects conducted during the summer.
4. The Rand Scholar Award supports student research on the life and culture of Norway.
5. Magnus the Good Collaborative Fellowships support small teams of faculty and students on projects they design together and then conduct at various times throughout the year.

CURI also supports students who travel to present research findings at regional and national conferences. Supported presentations can be based on classroom projects, independent research, or summer research on or off campus.

Learning about Research Opportunities at St. Olaf

Research opportunities can be discovered in a variety of settings: talk to faculty members about which classes support original research as well as about how to be involved in a faculty member's current research projects.  St. Olaf's digital database (https://digital.stolaf.edu/curi/) displays information about recent projects and helps students identify a professor’s area of study. You can also find research posters hanging in hallways throughout the academic buildings. Besides these informal exchanges, students have several options to explore opportunities during the academic year and in the summer.

Course Credit for CURI programs and OLE CORE

Students do not earn course credit for either academic year or summer research because they are paid employees of the college.  The remuneration for summer CURI also includes housing on campus for students working full-time.  Steen Fellows and Magnus Fellows earn stipends instead of wages, and these opportunities do not allow students to earn course credit. Rand Scholars also earn stipends and receive course credit through an associated Independent Research. Students participating in any of the CURI programs may be able to complete their OLE Experience in Practice general education credit.

Research Opportunities Outside of CURI

There are several ways in which students can participate in undergraduate research during the academic year outside of the CURI program. Many majors require students to conduct original research in structured seminars. Students may take an Independent Research course and work on a project under the supervision of a faculty member. Another option is a Directed Undergraduate Research (DUR) course. In this course, which may be taught in any department or program, a small group of students work with a faculty member on research. These courses are listed in the class and lab schedule in the Student Information System (SIS) under the "396" code. Students are encouraged to discuss these opportunities with associated faculty and department chairs.

Finally, each spring students in applied mathematics, statistics, and computer science are invited to apply to be Fellows in the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CIR) for the following academic year. Eligible statistics students will have completed at least SDS 272, while criteria for students in applied math or computer science will depend on the nature of proposed projects. More information on the CIR is available at wp.stolaf.edu/cir.