How do you get involved in undergraduate research at UNH? Undergraduate students at UNH regularly get involved in research, some starting as early as their first year. More than 1,500 students participated in the annual Undergraduate Research Conference in 2023 and 300+ undergraduate students participate in Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research programs each year.
For undergraduate researchers of all majors at UNH, the benefit of conducting research goes far beyond inquiry and results. Many UNH students cite undergraduate research as the opportunity that changed everything for them. Read on to discover five lessons UNH undergraduate researchers learned from conducting their research projects, from discovering that things don't always go according to plan to finding the confidence to present at a conference.
For more research stories, check out the Hamel Center's Undergraduate Research Blog and the online undergraduate research journal, Inquiry.
Ginger Schoff
1. There’s no need to pigeonhole yourself into one narrow research interest
“Across my research projects, I have worked with four professors from different disciplines. This allowed me to build relationships with faculty both in and outside of my home in the political science department. I was able to see, firsthand, each professor’s unique approach to research, garnering diverse skills along the way. Not only was the content of my research unique in each project, but the requisite skills varied."
-Ginger Schoff '25
Melanie Yelle
2. Research is possible in any discipline
“Finance research is a little different than STEM research, or at least people’s general perception of STEM research, as I did not spend time in labs or use science-y procedures that I cannot even begin to explain. My research came from news articles from places like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times as well as financial databases such as Compustat and CRSP."
-Melanie Yelle '26
Maggie Krein
3. Research doesn't always go according to plan
“In the end, while I hoped my SURF project would have incredible results and prompt expanded research into the issue of microplastic pollution, it may be that the problems I had to troubleshoot will be an even greater contribution to science. I will continue my experiments and persevere through each challenge, because the potential impacts of microplastic pollution are too great to overlook."
-Maggie Krein '25
Jaxson Libby
4. Presenting your research can be invigorating
“It was an incredible experience to be among big names (at the American Association for Cancer Research conference) and have people come up to me when the National Cancer Institute was right next to me also presenting. It put into perspective how important my work is to cancer research. That lit an even bigger and brighter flame of ambition to keep working on my project."
-Jaxson Libby '23
Nathaniel Nichols
5. Undergraduate research experiences can profoundly impact your future
“The research experiences I had after the Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) continued to excite me and I decided to apply for chemical engineering PhD programs to continue my passion for research. Having a multitude of research experiences, all stemming from my REAP experience, gave me the confidence to apply to the top chemical engineering graduate programs in the country and the credibility to be accepted to Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Delaware, University of California Santa Barbara, and Columbia University.”
-Nathaniel Nichols, ‘22
Read nathaniel's research story
Read the Hamel Center's Undergraduate Research blog
Read Inquiry, the online undergraduate research journal
related posts:
Research Opportunities for Undergrads at UNH
Do you want to attend a school where you can get involved in research projects right away as an undergraduate? Do you want to take on projects that mean you'll journey on a boat on the Atlantic Ocean, perform dance before a crowd or identify artifacts in Greece? read more about research
