Why ask why?

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."

-Carl Sagan

Research is about asking questions. 

Questions drive our development as individuals and a culture.  Questions motivate our choices and stimulate growth.  Questions bring about change in our world. 

• What is the cure for cancer?
• How can we improve the battery life on your phone?
• How many bats live in Dunbar Cave?
• How do middle-school students feel about reading at home versus at school?

Definition of Undergraduate Research:  An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original, intellectual, or creative contribution to the discipline.

Research is about pursuing and finding answers.

In an undergraduate research experience, you can pursue answers to questions in your field.

Knowledge is something that is created.  Think of how the field of communications has changed in the last 10 years since the advent of MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook.  Our perspective on history is constantly changing and evolving as time passes.  As we learn more about the human body, we design better and more effective drugs to treat disease.  As you progress through your education, you will begin to see that there is more to it than the facts in a book.  How were those facts discovered?  Someone did the research.

 Need help getting started? The Web Guide to Research for Undergraduates (WebGURU) is an interactive web-based tool intended to assist undergraduates navigate the hurdles of an undergraduate research experience.  > Learn more

Real people do research.

Curious about who is actually doing research?  You can hear firsthand from your fellow students and faculty about why research interests them.  Go to our Videos page to meet some of the real people at APSU who do research.

Is a Painter also a Researcher?  Yes!   

Paintings are but research and experiment. I never do a painting as a work of art.  All of them are research.  I search constantly and there is a logical sequence in all this research.”

- Pablo Picasso (Spanish painter, 1881 –1973)

Research is for ALL subjects!  The only limit is your imagination!