Browse Opportunities

How to Get Started With Research

First, set aside time to think about your interests.  What questions and activities in your field most engage you?  What are some throughlines that connect these?

Next, get to know your faculty.  Faculty at NMSU are productive scholars as well as teachers.  Professors in your field are engaged in research and creative projects, and some are able to include and mentor undergraduate researchers through direct engagement with this faculty-led work. Check out the faculty pages on your department website.  These will describe topics and projects on which your faculty are currently working, often with links to websites for their labs, studios, institutes, programs, or performance calendars. Also look at faculty pages for other departments that are adjacent to your own or that just really interest you. You may be amazed at what your instructors are working on.

*At left, Prof. Motoko Furuhashi with metalworking students on Art; at right, Prof. Elba Serrano with students in her neuroscience lab.

You may already have met some of these scholars in your field as instructors or speakers. If not, don't worry. Either way, visit their office hours and introduce yourself. Ask how you can get involved in scholarly activity in your field. If you haven't seen their office hours posted in the halls, ask in the main office of your department where and when they hold office hours. Drop in! This is what office hours are for. If this is terrifying to you, try emailing. But nothing beats saying hello in person.  Also, find out whether there are Research Programs in your field that can help you reach your goals.  Student groups in your major may help point you in their direction.

CURCA activities aim to help you get a foot in the door. 

• Biweekly CrimsonOpps emails include upcoming opportunities you might consider. 
• At fall Research and Creativity Open Houses, mentors welcome you into their university labs, studios, and collections to see what research looks like in action. 
• Artwork by Crimson Scholars from any major is showcased in the fall Honors Art Exhibit. 
• The Spring Research Programs and Fellowships Night introduces you to programs that support undergraduates with mentor networks, placements, and even funding to do research. 
• Come to URCAS in April to discover what other students are doing and their stories. 
• And, throughout the year, come to CURCA workshops and open office hours in CHC 204.

For more tips on getting started and student profiles, see our Resources page.