Undergraduate Research

Points of Pride

2025-26 Signature Program Offerings

National Center for Earth and Space Education (NCESSE) Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) - A First for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Research

SSEP students
  • 11 teams, 35 ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø scholars, competed to launch their experiment on the Mission 21 of the International Space Station (ISS). The Microgravity Effects on Chitosan Hydrogel Structure for Potential Wound-Care Applications experiment was . In the photo from left to right are Jade Fei (first-year biomedical sciences), Hannah Kirschenmann (first-year biomedical sciences), Jaiden Brick (junior biology), Dr. Sylvia Thomas (Professor, EE),  and Krystal Walford (junior mechanical engineering). 

  • Partnered with the Hillsborough County Public Schools for the Spaceflight Patch Contest. Below are the patches designed by the elementary and middle school winners.  The elementary competition engaged 6,792 students from 11 schools with 108 students submitting patches for judging and the middle school competition engaged 5,164 students from 5 schools with 57 students submitting patches for judging. 165 patches met the requirements for judging by a committee of teachers and community leaders.
    space patches

    The Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Mission Patch winner is Eeshan Kallu, 3rd Grade, Dorothy C. York Innovation Center, Apollo Beach, Florida. The winning patch from the Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade competition is Maddox Sewell, 8th Grade, Turkey Creek Middle School, Plant City, FL.

Florida Undergraduate Research Conference

  • 61 ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø scholars presented posters at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference at the University of North Florida on March 6-7th funded by the Florida High Tech Corridor  - A first for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Research
FURC attendees

OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Undergraduate Research Conference during National Undergraduate Research Week 

  • 375 abstracts submitted in 2025
  • 585 (tentative) abstracts submitted in 2026 - Application closed March 24th

Manage ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø's NSF REU Sites - OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Summer Undergraduate Research Program 

  • 60 participants for 2025
  • 6 REU Sites / 3 Research projects

OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Undergraduate Student Engagement Series - A First for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Research

  •  Dr. Edward Rosenthal, 2025 Florida Inventor Hall of Fame, spoke to ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø scholars

OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Undergraduate Faculty Engagement Series - A First for ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Research

  • SERI partnered with RDI to host an NSF REU workshop series. As more faculty are awarded REU Sites, more scholars gain undergraduate research experience at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.

2024-25 Student Programming

FURC stats

The Office of Student Engagement for Research and Innovation (SERI) hosted the 2025 Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC), the nation's largest multi-disciplinary research conference with record attendance and poster presentations. FURC featured 702 posters from 805 undergraduate students representing 33 Florida colleges and universities, 131 faculty and staff, and 152 guests. Three high school students also presented posters from Fort Lauderdale, Gulf Breeze and Dover.   

participants

The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø St. Petersburg campus achieved a record level participation of 87 research scholars for the 2025 OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Undergraduate Research Conference, showcasing the campus’s growing impact and engagement in undergraduate research. The College of Arts & Sciences led all ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø colleges with 496 abstract submissions and the support of 151 dedicated faculty mentors—highlighting the college's strong commitment to undergraduate research and scholarly excellence.

IDS enrollment

A total of 26 students enrolled in the Undergraduate Research Experience course (IDS 2912). Five of these students presented their research at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference, OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Undergraduate Research Symposium or ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health Research Day.

2024-25 Grants

OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Direct Grants 

  • $10,000 for the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC) – Office of Student Success
  • $10,000 for the Summer Academy for Investigative Learning (SAIL) – Funding Source: Florida High Tech Corridor and ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøRI 
  • $9,000 for the FURC – Hopen Smith Firm
  • $7,500 ($2,500 each) for the OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Undergraduate Research Conferences on the Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee ResearchOne  
  • $5,000 ($2,500 each) for 2025 OneºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Summer Research Symposium on Tampa, St. Petersburg– Funding Source: Research One

Indirect Grants

  • $110,000 for Undergraduate Research (Renewed) for the 10 colleges and one campus with undergraduate programs ($10,000 each) – Funding Source: Florida High Tech Corridor and ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøRI
  • $50,000 (10 stipends of $5,000) to serve as the Undergraduate Research Director for 10 colleges and one campus
funding charts