The breadth and scope of undergraduate research on display

A chorus of conversation filled Houston Hall during the Fall Research Expo, at capacity with 380 posters detailing research projects undertaken by 436 undergraduate students mentored by faculty.

Organized by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF), the Sept. 16 Expo featured posters on easels throughout three floors of the historic hall. More than 1,000 visitors came to hear student presenters explain their research studies, which represented 237 departments in medicine, business, natural sciences, and more in all 12 schools.

“The energy is palpable,” said Ann Vernon-Grey, CURF’s senior associate director of undergraduate research.

Students conducted research projects in the United States, as well as Botswana, China, France, Germany, Greenland, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Poland, Romania, and the United Kingdom. More than 150,000 hours of research and more than $2 million in funding were represented at the Expo. Vernon-Grey said the event reached capacity with 515 applicants. The students’ projects are available online at CURF’s website, Penn Presents.

Undergraduate research opportunities and funding at Penn have been steadily increasing over the past 20-plus years, Vernon-Grey said. The Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring program (PURM) started in 2007, supporting 18 students with faculty mentors; in 2024 PURM supported 280 faculty-mentored students. “It has grown by leaps and bounds. There is increasing interest both in faculty bringing on students as well as students interested in the opportunities,” Vernon-Grey said.

“Participating in undergraduate research is transformative for students in that they develop technical skills, but they also develop a sense of intellectual belonging,” she said. “They begin to identify themselves as researchers, as participants in this production of knowledge, as opposed to simply recipients of information.”

In addition, undergraduates create lasting professional relationships with mentors and get a behind-the-scenes look at what research involves. “They feel a real ownership over the undertaking they are pursuing,” Vernon-Grey said, “and the mentors obviously are key to that development. They spend so much time investing in these young people.”

CURF manages the myriad research opportunities and funding awards for programs including PURM for rising second- and third-years, Jumpstart for Juniors for rising fourth-years, and University Scholars, with student financial awards funded by the Office of the Provost. There’s also funding for faculty who are mentoring undergraduates participating in their research studies and a growing number of named and donor-supported grants that fund individual student research projects.

Some schools, like Wharton, have their own funded student research programs. Students also work directly with faculty on research outside of formal programs. Half of the graduating Class of 2022 reported participation in faculty-mentored research as part of their undergraduate experience, Vernon-Grey said.

Gaining that research experience impacts “any metric of success” for students, Vernon-Grey said, but also builds skills that can influence future opportunities. Typically more than 60 percent of students continue in research after their projects are completed, she said.

“Employers look for participation in undergraduate research as evidence of having learned things like time management, teamwork, independent thinking, critical evaluation,” Vernon-Grey said. “There is no world in which participating in undergraduate research doesn't prepare you for life post-Penn.”

Penn Today reported on nine of this summer’s research experiences.

Olympics and economics

Silas Ruth a fourth-year in the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) spent his summer examining sports mega-events like the Paris 2024 Olympics through an economic lens. Ruth was advised by Economics Professor Guillermo L. Ordoñez and received grant support to finance his travel to Los Angeles. There, Ruth met with city officials and gained an understanding of the financial impact on a city bidding on such games.

A neighborhood post-pandemic

For part of his summer, Matthew Breier pored over death certificates. Through PURM, the third-year assisted history and sociology of science professor David Barnes, both in SAS, to understand the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic on the city’s Black and immigrant neighborhoods. Breier’s research mapped where people who died from influenza had lived and detailed the characteristics of neighborhoods with high and low mortality rates.

Rainwater harvesting in Mexico

Since high school, Krishna Chandrasekhara has volunteered with Isla Urbana, a nonprofit that installs and maintains neighborhood rainwater-collection systems and educates communities and students on water conservation in Mexico City. This summer, with grant funding and support from advisor Iliana V. Kohler, the SAS fourth-year interviewed community members and public health officials about their relationship to water.

A new therapy for equine osteoarthritis

Animal research that can help humans is an important focus for the School of Veterinary Medicine. Through PURM, second-year Sidney Wong of SAS spent the summer in the lab of Kyla Ortved, staining samples of cartilage taken from horses and studying the pathophysiology of equine osteoarthritis and a potential therapy.

Healing rosemary

A now-debunked TikTok claim that rosemary extract promotes hair loss was the catalyst for Jiayi Pang’s summer research. Through a grant, the SAS third-year worked in the Thomas Leung Research Group Lab in Penn Medicine, which specializes in skin wound healing. While the team found no evidence of hair regeneration, it did find potential for wound healing, and is now figuring out the cellular and molecular mechanisms of rosemary-induced wound repair.

A new protocol for at-risk pregnancies

Ellie Mayers, a third-year in the School of Nursing and Gladys Smith, a second-year in SAS, studied with Beth Leung Pineles of Penn Medicine, researching bed rest orders and physical activity restrictions for patients at risk of preterm birth, with a long-term goal to bolster treatment through exercise. Through PURM, Mayers and Smith worked at two Penn Medicine locations, asking patients at high risk for preterm labor to complete a research survey. They plan to continue their research with Pineles through the fall and beyond.

Boosting the frequency of sound waves

Vincent Kerler spent his summer catching waves. Under the guidance of Yue Jiang in the Charlie Johnson research group in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the SAS second-year ran simulations as part of Johnson’s research on topological insulators, funded by PURM. Specifically, Kerler explored how mechanical waves move through a class of materials that convert mechanical stress into electricity and vice versa.

Diabetes and oral care

Family history of diabetes was the inspiration for two undergraduates to pursue a PURM research project in the lab of Dana Graves in Penn Dental Medicine to contribute to the understanding of diabetes’ impact on oral wound healing and periodontal disease. Sanan Gueyikian, an SAS third-year, measured histologic tissues to assess whether healing improved in one specific gene. Wharton School third-year Su Ah Kim’s research period was her first conducting research in a wet lab, where she worked to genotype and quantify bone loss in diabetic mice.

Daily lives of smokers

Gabriella Jean, a second-year in SAS, worked with the Annenberg School’s David Lydon-Staley on a PURM research project studying the association between everyday life stressors—such as financial stress or an unpleasant social interaction—and cigarette smoking. Jean and Lydon-Staley identified a strong relationship between these stressors, negative affect, and cigarette craving.