Undergraduate Research

Hands-on, faculty-mentored undergraduate research is at the heart of a Union education.

Team up with professors on real research projects—in labs, studios, and creative spaces across campus.
Work in top-notch facilities like the Integrated Science & Engineering Complex, digital arts and rooftop energy labs, the Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts and the Henle Dance Pavilion.
Access top-tier scientific instruments and hands-on research tools across disciplines.
Get your name on published papers and present your work at national conferences.
80% of students complete a senior thesis or capstone with a faculty mentor—and many showcase their work at our annual Steinmetz Symposium.
Want to know more? Visit the Office of Undergraduate Research.

"My time conducting research with exoplanets is unbelievable. Before coming to Union, I never expected to be doing this much research, let alone co-authoring a paper."

— Devin Ramos '25, physics major

Hands-on, faculty-mentored undergraduate research is at the heart of a Union education.

Team up with professors on real research projects—in labs, studios, and creative spaces across campus.
Work in top-notch facilities like the Integrated Science & Engineering Complex, digital arts and rooftop energy labs, the Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts and the Henle Dance Pavilion.
Access top-tier scientific instruments and hands-on research tools across disciplines.
Get your name on published papers and present your work at national conferences.
80% of students complete a senior thesis or capstone with a faculty mentor—and many showcase their work at our annual Steinmetz Symposium.
Want to know more? Visit the Office of Undergraduate Research.

"My time conducting research with exoplanets is unbelievable. Before coming to Union, I never expected to be doing this much research, let alone co-authoring a paper."

— Devin Ramos '25, physics major

Undergraduate research inspires personal discoveries

Empowering children with special needs

For the past several years, Union engineering students have been working to design a replicable wheelchair for children that’s reasonably priced and easy to use by retrofitting the Power Wheels Wild Thing, a Fisher-Price battery-powered vehicle.

More about this engineering project

Classic Union research

Arundhati Gore '24 spent part of her sophomore year doing faculty-mentored research in a subject she found fascinating, one that combined archaeology and geology.

More about Arundhati's research

Top-notch facilities

Explore and create in state-of-the-art facilities that rival those found in top graduate programs and professional settings—from cutting-edge science and engineering labs to inspiring visual and performing arts studios.

Biology suites

DO cutting-edge work in tissue culture and molecular biology suites.
Location: Integrated Science and Engineering Complex and Wold Center
Center for Data Analytics

LEARN about how to acquire, analyze and visual data in our Center for Data Analytics.
Location: Wold Center
Center for Neuroscience

UNDERSTAND how the brain works, with studies in everything from neuroethology to the intricacies of cognitive processing, in the Center for Neuroscience.
Location: Butterfield Hall
Energy and Environmental Engineering Suite

EXPLORE sustainable building design and renewable energy systems in the Energy and Environmental Engineering Suite. Design, set up and monitor prototypes in the Rooftop Energy Research Lab.
Location: Wold Center
Integrated Science and Engineering Complex

Students who are looking to go into STEM will find Union's Integrated Science and Engineering Complex one of the most inspiring undergraduate science facilities in the United States. The largest and most ambitious project in Union’s history, this $100 million complex was completed in 2020.
A key feature of the building is the striking glass-walled Ainlay Hall. It’s home to a 1.1-MV tandem pelletron accelerator, 400-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, micro CT scanner and other sophisticated instrumentation for student use, as well as a thermal science and fluid mechanics lab.
In addition, electrical engineering research will be enhanced in laboratories dedicated to real-time power grid analysis, and students working on communications systems will enjoy a wide range of opportunities to explore the electromagnetic spectrum.
Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory

USE a 1.1-MV tandem pelletron accelerator and other sophisticated instrumentation to probe the nuclear structure of objects in the Ion-Beam Analysis Laboratory.
Location: Integrated Science and Engineering Complex
Makerspace

FABRICATE and tinker in our Makerspaces, interdisciplinary labs that support maker activities using digital and analog tools, including virtual reality technology, 3D printers and scanners, a laser cutter, CNC router, soldering kits and more.
Location: Wold Center
Union Observatory

VIEW the planets and gain a galaxy of knowledge by using the Union Observatory, which features a 20-inch Ritchey-Chretien telescope with SBIG CCD camera and a 7.5-foot radio telescope for research projects in observational and radio astronomy.
Location: F.W. Olin Center

Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts

MAKE your mark in stunning new painting, drawing, sculpting and printmaking studios with ample light and space. Tap into your talents in our fully equipped digital media lab, large new photography darkroom and photography suites, and woodshop and welding studios. Connect with artists and exhibit your own work in two professional galleries. Find all of this and more in the Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts.
Henle Dance Pavilion

MOVE! The 7,000-square-foot Henle Dance Pavilion overlooking Jackson's Garden is a hub for technique classes in ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop and choreography. It features a spring-floor dance studio and lobby/rehearsal space; 20-foot ceilings that safely permit lifts and aerials; and classrooms, a costume shop and meeting rooms.
Karp Hall, Lippman Hall, Lamont House

EXPLORE a wide range of subjects, from anthropology to philosophy, in depth and breadth through coursework, literature, research projects and presentations in Karp Hall, Lippman Hall and Lamont House. These recently renovated buildings for the humanities and social sciences house classrooms, seminar rooms, and library and study spaces. The technology-rich Karp performance classroom accommodates multi-media presentations, literary readings, panel discussions and film screenings.
Memorial Chapel

REHEARSE and perform as part of campus choral and orchestral ensembles and student a capella groups in historic Memorial Chapel. This century-old building is known for its superb sound, with an acoustical ceiling designed by one of America’s preeminent scientists.
Nott Memorial

VIEW art and dance in the Nott Memorial, the striking 16-sided National Historic Landmark that is the centerpiece of campus. It is home to the Mandeville Gallery, which exhibits nationally recognized contemporary artists; the Wikoff Student Gallery, which presents student works and the campus-wide LGBTQ+ exhibit; and the popular Lothridge Festival of Dance.
Schaffer Library

READ, research and study in Schaffer Library, which houses the Writing Center, offering peer support and mentoring. Discover the Department of Archives and Special Collections, which contains original and rare manuscripts, prints, drawings, books, maps, photographs, sound recordings and other materials.
Taylor Music Center

TUNE IN to a wide spectrum of music in the Taylor Music Center, which offers the intimate experience of a conservatory within a small liberal arts setting. Compose your own music and learn about others' at our All-Steinway school. Enjoy the 100-seat Emerson Auditorium, a choral library, and studios specifically dedicated to music technology, early music and music from around the world.
Yulman Theater

DELVE into all aspects of theater, from acting to stage design, in the Yulman Theater. In this modern complex you’ll find the Main Stage, which hosts major student productions; the Black Box Theater, a flexible space for staged readings and monologues; an actor's studio and a design studio; and a scenic shop that accommodates stagecraft and specialty construction classes.