STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

Scroll to read about the experiences of previous students regarding undergraduate research at Illinois.

"My graduate mentor was very, very helpful and made sure I understood everything I was doing. She was very willing to answer questions for me and meet to help go over my abstract and poster."

Amber

Chemical Engineering, 2018

"Our research group has a great atmosphere and everyone is proactively supportive, from the undergraduate researchers to the postdocs and PI. My mentor especially spends a lot of extra time making sure that the undergrads (including myself) are learning and understanding whatever project they're working on, which has definitely encouraged me to work harder and consider pursuing research as a career."

Ayako

Bioengineering, 2016

"I really enjoyed working with my graduate mentor and research group. I have worked with the group for two years and feel as if I have become part of the group, even though I am only an undergrad. I collaborate with other group members to address problems with our experiments and leverage our different abilities."

Philip

Aerospace Engineering, 2016

"I have loved working in this research group for the past 3 1/2 years. It has given me a strong background in research and inspired me to go on to grad school. Our PI has given me applicable projects and not merely grunt work. I am blessed to have had this opportunity."

Grace

Materials Science and Engineering, 2017

"I designed and built all physical test equipment for our upcoming experiments for a journal paper on skin stretch and sensory substitution. It's been really awesome! I've been included in all small group meetings and have been able to communicate as much as necessary with my graduate mentor and professor. I've had what I feel is plenty of responsibility and learned a lot from hands on."

Patrick

Mechanical Engineering, 2016