Beyond the Classroom
As one of the nation’s top research universities, we offer students the opportunity to pursue research in- and outside the classroom. Whether you’re looking to research developing medicines in one of our university hospitals, work with a local non-profit to apply your learnings in real world settings, or explore robotic engineering in our General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, and Perception Lab (GRASP), there’s something for everyone interested in research here at Penn.
Research Opportunities
If you’re looking for a place that supports research across industries, you’re come to the right place. Everyday our students work closely with faculty, community leaders, local businesses, and more to turn their learnings into action that drive impact far and wide.
Academically Based Community Service Courses (ABC’s)
Penn’s innovative Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) courses give you the opportunity to earn academic credit while doing important work in surrounding communities—partnering with local schools, churches, and community centers to address such issues as literacy, nutrition, and water quality.
Center For Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF)
CURF advisors help undergraduates interested in research find faculty mentors and research opportunities. The Center helps those interested in post-graduate fellowships develop competitive applications and proposals and provides assistance to undergraduates applying for funding for research and research-related activities.
General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, and Perception Lab (GRASP)
A $10 million research center, Penn’s General Robotics, Automation, Sensing, and Perception Lab (GRASP) supports student learning and research in areas such as haptics and service robots. The “Philliebot,” designed in Penn’s GRASP Lab, threw out the first pitch at a Phillies game as part of the Philadelphia Science Festival.
Internships
More than 80 percent of Penn undergraduates complete internships in the greater Philadelphia area. Whether you choose to tutor in a local school, conduct research in the city archives, work for a nonprofit organization, or learn the ropes at an investment bank, Penn will help you discover ways to apply your learning in real-world settings.
Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program
The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships supports undergraduate involvement in faculty research through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM). This program provides students completing their first or second undergraduate year the opportunity to spend a summer as a research assistant for a Penn faculty member.
Philadelphia
From its neighborhoods to its public schools, Philadelphia is a dynamic city where you can examine the challenges, dynamics, and possibilities of the American urban landscape—whether through Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Civic House, or other nonprofit and community initiatives
Undergraduate Publishing
Your research findings are even more valuable when they’re shared, and Penn students have presented findings at professional conferences throughout the country—and around the world.
As a Penn student researcher, you will have the opportunity to publish your research results both in collaboration with professors and independently. Our 11 undergraduate research journals often showcase the research of students and student-faculty partnerships. A few of the more common publications are listed below.
