Undergraduate
Research

Emerge Scholars Fiat Lux

Make an Impact in Your Field with Faculty-Guided Research

At Florida Southern, you’re encouraged to make your own explorations and challenge conventions with hands-on research projects in your field. You'll be able to choose your own research topics and methodologies with the support and guidance of your professors. Over the years, students have made incredible contributions through their research, and we look forward to seeing you carry on the tradition.

Explore Academic Life Discover Engaged Learning

Undergraduate Research Even in Your First Year

$60K

in annual funds to support student-faculty research

200+

students travel annually to professional meetings

100%

of freshmen biology students conduct antibiotic research

Explore Research Opportunities

Whether you’re interested in the medical field, science, business, law, education, or the humanities, FSC is a huge advocate for undergraduate research. Discover the ways our students channel their academic curiosity to make an impact in their fields.

Tiny Earth Network

Tiny Earth is a platform used to teach biology students to research and discover new antibiotic sources from soil samples in their own backyards. Finding new and effective antibiotics is one of the most pressing global health challenges of our century.

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Making a Difference

Students across a range of disciplines lead ground-breaking change and initiatives in fields like business, law, science, and professional development. Research projects put students right in the center of the action—working beside top officials in analysis centers, labs, courtrooms, classrooms, and corporate offices.

Creative Discoveries

The opportunities for research are endless. Whichever field you’re in, you’ll be able to identify and push the boundaries of your area of focus with research projects that combine artistic elements to make something unique to you. This can be through choreographed dance pieces, daring poetry, or art-informed writing therapy. Whatever peaks your passion, the stage is set for you to discover it.

Participate in Professional Conferences

Our academic practice of encouraging undergraduate research is just one way of incorporating experiential learning into your studies. Once your research is done, you have the additional opportunity to present your findings at conferences in your field — a unique way of gaining professional experience!

Wendy Kiesewetter

Wendy Kiesewetter designed a case study in which she explored how having an intentionally designed personal brand - akin to a fleshed-out corporate brand like Apple or Nike - can help someone get a job. Wendy interviewed experts in design, professional development, psychology, marketing, and more as preliminary research. Afterwards, she designed three brands for three individuals with varying career goals and identities. She met with them throughout the year and designed an in-depth, personalized brand for each of them that reflects their personalities and professional desires. Wendy designed three sets of logos, color palettes, brochures, booklets, business cards, envelopes, letterheads, and social media accounts, each one specifically designed for each person. In addition to this, she painted a wall in the Melvin Fine Arts Gallery which involved hanging large vinyl signs, posters, shelves, and much more hands-on practical gallery installation work. She presented her findings in front of the entire FSC Art Department in front of a creative director judge from Publix.

Ariana Harris

Ariana Harris was nominated for the 2023/2024 EMERGE Scholar award by Dr. Patrick L. Smith for her 6 research projects that investigated pedagogical techniques to improve science literacy in adolescents and young adults. These techniques have included content-targeted memes, multisensory learning blocks, trading card games, and modified board games, all of which served as supplements to improve memory retention for various anatomical and physiological materials. Ariana served as a primary investigator on all of these projects and has presented her scholarly work on campus at the Psychology Research Expo, and at off-campus meetings that have included Central Florida Psychology Summit, Florida Undergraduate Research Conference (FURC), and at the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) meeting. Ariana is also an author on a manuscript that is under review by the North American Journal of Psychology while preparing two additional peer-review manuscripts for the Florida Literacy Journal and the Teaching of Psychology journals.

Devin Mantei

Devin Mantei was nominated for the 2023/2024 EMERGE Scholar Award by Dr. Charles Allen for her research examining the Landmine Rotation exercise, its proper techniques, variations, and programming recommendations. Her research alongside Dr. Allen has demonstrated that the Landmine Rotation exercise and its variations would be beneficial for use in strength and conditioning coaching, especially its rotational, total-body, sport-specific movement pattern. This research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Devin has also examined nutrition literacy in dancers through both a review of literature and her own research with the Florida Southern dance department. This research demonstrated that dancers both at Florida Southern College and worldwide exhibit unexpectedly low levels of knowledge regarding appropriate nutrition, highlighting a need for nutrition interventions in dance programs. From these results, future research should be done to examine the most effective intervention programs to enhance dancer longevity.

Demitra Sejka

Collaborate with Your Professors

Through their research, our Mocs are in the field collaborating with their professors and contributing to real-world challenges to make the world a better place.