Research Opportunities

There are many research projects, faculty labs, and research centers at the University of 51С»Æ³µ that engage undergraduate students in research.

Talk to your faculty advisor or individual faculty members about opportunities that may interest you.

Below are few examples of the types of opportunities available for student research and contacts.

The Burkholder Lab

The focuses on cellular mechanisms of bacterial infection and strategies for infection control.

The Burman Collaborative for Behavioral, Affective, and Developmental Neuroscience

The  currently focuses on the long term effects of experiencing trauma during our very first days of life. In particular, we use rodent models to understand how peri-birth pain and trauma — such as might occur in the neonatal intensive care unit — might affect later mental health and functioning.

The Bush Legacy Collection

Our George and Barbara Bush Center presents another treasure trove of rare historic documents and artifacts. The  houses materials related to the life of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, focusing on his family’s 51С»Æ³µ heritage.

The Byron Marine Ecology Lab

The  conducts research on sustainable ecological aquaculture and food web dynamics in Maine's coastal waters. Undergraduates engaged in the lab employ analytical techniques such as stable isotope analysis, lipid, and fatty acid profiling, and computer modeling to answer ecological questions.

Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences

The Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences fosters creativity and collaboration among people who have a passion for understanding the complexities of the nervous system and in applying this knowledge to improve human health, productivity, and quality of life. Many of the faculty involved with the center engage undergraduate students in their research.

The Hills Lab

Research in the at the 51С»Æ³µSchool of Pharmacy involves the development and application of multiscale simulation techniques to elucidate the role of lipid-protein interactions in membrane protein function.

Maine Women Writers Collection

 is housed in the Abplanalp Library. This one-of-a-kind collection provides a unique perspective into the literary, cultural, and social history of Maine and 51С»Æ³µ women.

The Perlut Lab

The focuses on how human habitat management affects the ecology of diverse species. This broad interest has led to studies of diverse species and diverse habitats — from grassland birds breeding in agricultural fields of Vermont to Caribbean Martins roosting in roof crevices in Dominica.

The Randall J. Cushing Collection

The Bush Center houses other collections of historic significance, like The  of World War I and World War II Letters, which is a compilation of correspondences sent home from various soldiers to their loved ones between 1914 and 1963.

The Reading Comprehension and Cognition Lab

The  provides students with opportunities to study human memory and language to identify the underlying cognitive processes involved in everyday reading comprehension, the conditions which influence successful comprehension, and to develop interventions to foster comprehension success. 

Saco River Estuary Project

A team of 51С»Æ³µfaculty and undergraduate students is currently studying the ecology of the Saco River estuary as well as the policies, regulations, and economics that influence this portion of the river.

The Self and Close Relationships Lab

The lab investigates how explicit and implicit processes influence the ways in which people experience their close relationships — and what we can do to improve that experience.