Opportunities

At this globally-recognized research university, you have the chance to be part of something bigger. 

Research conducted here at MSU has improved lives globally—from developing corn cross-fertilization in the 1870s to anticancer drugs in the 1960s, and today’s innovations in climate-resilient agriculture, supply chains, and STEM education.

There are hundreds of research faculty seeking curious, dedicated students for assistance in conducting and disseminating research. Your Briggs courses give you hands-on experiences and skills. Follow your curiosity!

Here are some ways to explore:

  • Talk to a professor or academic advisor about your research interests.
  • Make use of helpful resources and workshops from the Undergraduate Research Office to find opportunities, support, and presentation tips.
  • Work with a Briggs professor on faculty-led research: opportunities are posted below.
  • Search Handshake for research opportunities: paid and unpaid.
  • Search MSU websites for research topics you are interested in. Consider what skills you have to offer, and send a brief, professional email to lead researchers (typically the Principal Investigator of a lab), inquiring if they are looking for undergraduate research assistants.
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Research Opportunities with LBC Faculty

Projects for Fall 2026

Project 1: Unsettled Ecologies

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Lisa Fink
Term(s): Fall 2026 through Spring 2027
Maximum number of research positions: 1
Expected hours/week: 5-10 hours per week 
Location: Remote only

Overview

In partnership with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), this project examines Anishinaabe perspectives on non-local beings (sometimes referred to as "invasive species"). Data for this project comes from ethnographic interviews with 45 Elders, harvesters, and Tribal natural and cultural resource stewards across nine of GLIFWC's member Tribes, located in northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The undergraduate researcher will contribute to qualitative data analysis (primarily deductive coding) of the interview data. If time allows, the undergraduate researcher will also contribute to qualitative data analysis of GLIFWC's climate change interviews. Beyond gaining familiarity with qualitative data analysis, the undergraduate researcher will have the opportunity to learn about Indigenous knowledges, ethical research methods, and Indigenous data governance. They will also gain skills in scientific inquiry, understanding others, teamwork and collaboration, written and oral communication, and interpersonal skills (among others).

Project-specific qualifications or preferences: Familiarity with American Indian and Indigenous cultural practices, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), qualitative research methods and data analysis (coding), and/or MAXQDA is preferred but not required.

Project 2: Two-Semester LB 171: an action research study into student supports in a two-semester general chemistry I course 

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Sam Cass, Dr. Leah Johnson-Kempinski, Dr. Hasina Saraha and Dr. Maxine Sewell Davis
Term(s): Fall 2026 through Spring 2027
Maximum number of research positions: 1
Expected hours/week: 5 hours/week
Location: Either remote or in-person work is acceptable  

Overview

The LBC chemistry group is working to design a two-semester LB 171 course to replace the existing LB 155 – LB 171 course sequence. Our research project informs the design of this new course and will eventually evaluate its efficacy for supporting students. Student researchers supporting this project can expect to:  

  • Conduct interviews with students and LA’s in LB 155 and LB 171    
  • Use qualitative research methods to begin analysis of study data      
  • Learn ethical handling of human subjects’ data in the context of educational research      
  • Prepare a poster and present the results of the work. 

 The majority of this work will occur in the spring semester, but student researchers will have some responsibilities in the fall.

 Project-specific qualifications or preferences: We would prefer a student who has participated in the LB 155 / INQUIRE program.

Project 3: Investigating Student Reasoning in Physiology

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Jennifer Doherty
Term(s): Fall 2026 through Spring 2027
Maximum number of research positions: 2 
Expected hours/week: 7 hours/week  
Location: Either remote or in-person work is acceptable

Overview

How do students build on ideas they already have as they learn to explain how physiological systems work? Our research follows students in a real physiology course to understand how they develop this scientific reasoning, with the goal of improving teaching at MSU and beyond. We focus on flux, a principle of physics that describes the rate at which substances move in response to the driving force created by gradients. Flux is a foundational principle that students and experts use across many STEM disciplines. In physiology, it helps explain blood flow, airflow during breathing, ion movement during action potentials, and many other phenomena.

Student researchers will help prepare and analyze data from interviews with students and classroom recordings of students working together in a biology course. They will verify and correct transcript data through comparison with audiovisual recordings, format and organize data, and receive training in basic qualitative research methods. They will also identify patterns in students' ideas and reasoning, contribute to publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and potentially present research findings at UURAF in April 2027.

Project-specific qualifications or preferences: Familiarity with flux through taking LB145 or a physiology course is preferred. However, no previous research experience is required. Most importantly, we are looking for students who are dependable, attentive to detail, and interested in empirical research contributing to the science of teaching and learning.

Eligibility 

Any student in Lyman Briggs College may apply. The student must be enrolled in LBC full-time during the semester of the award, except during summer. 

General Application Procedure

  1. Fill out the Undergraduate Research Support application form via Qualtrics by September 10, 2026, at 8:00 a.m.
  2. In the application, indicate you are applying for an LBC project

For more information about funding, please visit the Research Funding page.

Project 1: Unsettled Ecologies

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Lisa Fink
Term(s): Fall 2026 through Spring 2027
Maximum number of research positions: 1
Expected hours/week: 5-10 hours per week 
Location: Remote only

Overview

In partnership with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), this project examines Anishinaabe perspectives on non-local beings (sometimes referred to as "invasive species"). Data for this project comes from ethnographic interviews with 45 Elders, harvesters, and Tribal natural and cultural resource stewards across nine of GLIFWC's member Tribes, located in northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The undergraduate researcher will contribute to qualitative data analysis (primarily deductive coding) of the interview data. If time allows, the undergraduate researcher will also contribute to qualitative data analysis of GLIFWC's climate change interviews. Beyond gaining familiarity with qualitative data analysis, the undergraduate researcher will have the opportunity to learn about Indigenous knowledges, ethical research methods, and Indigenous data governance. They will also gain skills in scientific inquiry, understanding others, teamwork and collaboration, written and oral communication, and interpersonal skills (among others).

Project-specific qualifications or preferences: Familiarity with American Indian and Indigenous cultural practices, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), qualitative research methods and data analysis (coding), and/or MAXQDA is preferred but not required.

Project 2: Two-Semester LB 171: an action research study into student supports in a two-semester general chemistry I course 

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Sam Cass, Dr. Leah Johnson-Kempinski, Dr. Hasina Saraha and Dr. Maxine Sewell Davis
Term(s): Fall 2026 through Spring 2027
Maximum number of research positions: 1
Expected hours/week: 5 hours/week
Location: Either remote or in-person work is acceptable  

Overview

The LBC chemistry group is working to design a two-semester LB 171 course to replace the existing LB 155 – LB 171 course sequence. Our research project informs the design of this new course and will eventually evaluate its efficacy for supporting students. Student researchers supporting this project can expect to:  

  • Conduct interviews with students and LA’s in LB 155 and LB 171    
  • Use qualitative research methods to begin analysis of study data      
  • Learn ethical handling of human subjects’ data in the context of educational research      
  • Prepare a poster and present the results of the work. 

 The majority of this work will occur in the spring semester, but student researchers will have some responsibilities in the fall.

 Project-specific qualifications or preferences: We would prefer a student who has participated in the LB 155 / INQUIRE program.

Project 3: Investigating Student Reasoning in Physiology

Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Jennifer Doherty
Term(s): Fall 2026 through Spring 2027
Maximum number of research positions: 2 
Expected hours/week: 7 hours/week  
Location: Either remote or in-person work is acceptable

Overview

How do students build on ideas they already have as they learn to explain how physiological systems work? Our research follows students in a real physiology course to understand how they develop this scientific reasoning, with the goal of improving teaching at MSU and beyond. We focus on flux, a principle of physics that describes the rate at which substances move in response to the driving force created by gradients. Flux is a foundational principle that students and experts use across many STEM disciplines. In physiology, it helps explain blood flow, airflow during breathing, ion movement during action potentials, and many other phenomena.

Student researchers will help prepare and analyze data from interviews with students and classroom recordings of students working together in a biology course. They will verify and correct transcript data through comparison with audiovisual recordings, format and organize data, and receive training in basic qualitative research methods. They will also identify patterns in students' ideas and reasoning, contribute to publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and potentially present research findings at UURAF in April 2027.

Project-specific qualifications or preferences: Familiarity with flux through taking LB145 or a physiology course is preferred. However, no previous research experience is required. Most importantly, we are looking for students who are dependable, attentive to detail, and interested in empirical research contributing to the science of teaching and learning.

Eligibility 

Any student in Lyman Briggs College may apply. The student must be enrolled in LBC full-time during the semester of the award, except during summer. 

General Application Procedure

  1. Fill out the Undergraduate Research Support application form via Qualtrics by September 10, 2026, at 8:00 a.m.
  2. In the application, indicate you are applying for an LBC project

For more information about funding, please visit the Research Funding page.

Research Opportunities from Other Organizations

Governmental and Professional Society Programs

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