Learning Together

PLU emphasizes the importance of student research and creative projects. From summer-long student-faculty research projects in the natural sciences to student-directed plays in theatre, these opportunities have many benefits and help students explore and learn more in-depth about an area of study or future career path that interests them, gain invaluable hands-on experience and organizational skills, and learn to balance independent and collaborative work.

These research and creative experiences, along with the opportunity to work closely with faculty as mentors strengthen our students’ preparation for careers and graduate programs. Each year, students have the opportunity to present their research and creative activities at a campus-wide Dr. Rae Linda Brown Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Showcase.

Natural Sciences

Building Better Batteries

In work funded by the National Science Foundation, two chemistry students and a professor spent the summer trying to make safer lithium-ion batteries.

A Different Kind of Whale Watching

A group of three students traveled to Maui during January Term 2017. Their mission: to monitor how water-vessel traffic, and specifically boat noise, affects behavioral patterns of humpback whales.

Locating Landslide Hazards

Geoscience majors and a professor are using high-end drones to identify potential landslide hazards in Western Washington, which could help communities prepare for landslides.

Fine Arts

Maker in the Making

Meet Jenny Kimura ’17, who works with Impact, the student-run advertising agency. She’s studying graphic design, publishing and printing arts, Latin, and art history.

Nominated for an Emmy

MediaLab, an applied research and multimedia program, received an Emmy Award nomination for its documentary film “Changing Currents: Protecting North America’s Rivers.”

Composing Lux Aeterna

Music Education major Jesús Gomez talks about the inspiration for composing ‘Lux Aeterna’, a piece later performed by PLU’s internationally renowned Choir of the West.

Social Sciences

Presenting research at a national conference

Four economics students – all women – presented their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, including a golf student-athlete, who used her own experience to conduct research about PGA players.

Studying the emotional labor of first responders

Sociology major Landon Packard ’17 interviewed over a dozen first responders to analyze the emotional labor of their jobs — the process of managing emotions to satisfy the requirements of a job.

PLU Peace Scholars travel to Norway

Austin Beiermann ’18, a politics & government and economics double major, and Cate Rush ’19, a nursing major, were selected to go on a seven-week peacebuilding experience in Norway as part of PLU’s Peace Scholars Program.

Humanities & Interdisciplinary Programs

From one class to research

In her Global Human Rights class, one of Sandra Estrada’s assignments was a project on child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, which turned into a professional presentation on public health issues.

Religion class takes students off campus

A Contemporary Religions of South Asia class went on a site visit to local Sikh Temple Gurudwara Singh Sabha. Site visits offer students excellent opportunities to ask questions and reflect on their course content.

Unethical medical experiments in history

Through a student research fellowship, Holocaust & Genocide Studies student Sophia Mahr analyzed how and why medical providers deliberately harmed people in the name of medical science by conducting non-consensual experiments on their subjects.