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Undergraduate opportunities


Opportunities for Undergraduate Research

A senior project is an integral part of a Cal Poly academic program. Many students also take advantageof undergraduate research experiences that are integrated with the professional development activities of our faculty and which can extend throughout much of a student's time at Cal Poly. Students have the opportunity to present this work at regional and national meetings and to share authorship with the faculty on publications. For example, a Cal Poly undergraduate and his professor attracted world-wide attention as the first ever to isolate and characterize DNA from an insect encased in ancient amber, and Science and Mathematics undergraduates have been involved in research projects such as:

  • vegetation analysis and restoration of the El Moro Elfin Forest 

  • biological and ecological studies of Monarch butterflies 

  • restoration and bioremediation of petroleum in the Guadalupe Dunes Oil Field 

  • devising new methods for sampling and analysis of common solvents 

  • studying the effect of gravity on plants 

  • synthesis and characterization of acrylic plastics 

  • motor skill acquisition strategies for rehabilitation of low back pain 

  • cardiopulmonary response to different types of exercise 

  • developing mathematical models to project population size for bald eagle and condor populations 

  • developing mathematical models for studying the effects of asteroid impact 

  • tracking the reversals of the earth's magnetic field by collecting and analyzing core samples from lava flow's in Tahiti and Hawaii 

  • studying the nuclear decay of atoms which have been swept up in space onto the outer surface of the MIR spaceship 

  • statistical analysis of the nutritional intake of adult women 

  • statistical analysis of monarch butterfly field data 

  • research on moon rock specimens 

  • analytical techniques for measuring volatile emissions 

  • industry sponsored pharmaceutical, polymer, and environmental research 

This kind of hands-on experience is one of the reasons Cal Poly graduates are recruited by employers and graduate programs. 

Uncommon Undergraduate Experiences

Unique Opportunities


A Friendly And Supportive Environment

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Please send comments or questions to cosam@calpoly.edu


Date of Last Update: May 15, 2007
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