Undergraduate Research

Are you interested in finding a faculty mentor? Would you like to build your resume by experiencing what it’s like to work in a lab? As a student researcher you will collect your own data and learn the skills and techniques that scientists all over the world use on a daily basis. Working with a faculty member you have the opportunity to build a mentoring relationship to last a lifetime.

We have a dedicated, fully equipped, student research space where you can isolate and analyze DNA, culture and characterize bacteria and much more.  Several of our faculty have ongoing research projects and work closely with students every semester. Some of the projects that you can get involved with are:

Dr Rachel Smith: Applying DNA Techniques to Burrowing Owl Conservation

Dr. Catherine Parmiter: Wildflower-Pollinator Research Initiative. 

Dr. Jarod Raithel: NSF-funded project “BUZZ: Engaging Community College Students in Native Bee Biodiversity Research.  

Scott Milne: Benthic Macroinvertebrate Analysis of Arizona Waterways: 

Dr. Matthew Starr: Microbial communities found in sourdough starters.

These faculty offer honors projects, mentoring and scholarship opportunities to support student researchers.   

Check out the Internship page at jobs.estrellamountain.edu for our current openings or contact the faculty member directly to find out more - you’ll discover they are very friendly and LOVE to talk about their research :)