Work independently and gain self-confidence along with practical, hands-on knowledge while working on something you are interested in, and receive HU, SS or UX credit!  Doing research with HSC allows students to sharpen skills like critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, team building, and time management, that will support their earning experience in college and enhance their professional success after graduation. Students who participate in undergraduate research not only enjoy a sense of accomplishment from contributing to scientific knowledge, innovation and discovery, but also have something impressive to add to their resumés.

HSC professors do research in diverse fields that include: design thinking, ethics, film studies, history, Latin American studies, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, technical communication, user experience, and more! 

Exciting things we're doing:

Dr. Lauren Beverung’s research focuses primarily on family relationships with emphasis on negative life experiences (e.g., bereavement, chronic illness). Her current research project examines the impact of COVID-19 on family caregiving. There are opportunities for undergraduates to contribute to this project. Additionally, Dr. Beverung is open to supervising any psychology-focused projects.

Dr. Michael Carriere welcomes students interested in UX, creative thinking and design thinking to work on the Wisconsin Together Decarceration Platform, an online resource/website that unites honor students and project partners in an effort to address issues of incarceration in Wisconsin

Ms. Margaret Dwyer is interested in working with students who wish to learn how the U.S. Constitution either applies to themselves or to the headlines we see in the news, using archival and legal research

Dr. Jan Fertig is conducting social-psychological research on diversity issues in engineering education (why there are still so few females and people of color in some engineering fields) and would also like to know if any students are interested in doing research on electronic addictions

Ms. Annemarie Fleishman is interested in researching the qualities of a sustainable community outreach program that would best inform high school students interested in pursuing careers in technical communication

Ms. Amii LaPointe is working to understand the benefits and risks of standardizing MSOE’s individual IACs (structures, value, etc.)

Dr. Candela Marini has a variety of interests that include Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx studies; 19th Century literature and visual culture; and Tourism and Migration studies

Dr. Lyle Maryniak has more than two decades of experience focusing on leadership development, specifically in the areas of transformational leadership, strategic thinking and competency development

Dr. Andrew McAninch works primarily in the areas of moral philosophy and applied ethics, but has broad interests across philosophy that include philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence; ethical issues involving emerging technologies; and ethical issues within the professions (e.g., engineering, medicine, etc.)

Dr. Tammy Rice-Bailey researches creative approaches to collaboration, examining team-building, both in the classroom and in the workplace; while continuing to conduct research on the topics of communication practices of remote workforces and the working relationships between technical communicators and subject matter experts

Dr. Nadya Shalamova’s current research project focuses on the use of design thinking strategies in engineering courses. Design thinking is a human-centered and experimentation-driven process that combines creativity and structure to tackle complex, ambiguous problems

Dr. Katherine Wikoff is happy to work on any student research project that involves film and media (including TV and video games); literature; political science and politics; UX and designing for civic life; or any topics related to topics related to the digitization of society

Dr. Mark Zimmermann has extensive experience working with arts and humanities organizations within our state (e.g., Wisconsin Academy of Sciences) and would welcome students wanting to do research related to the arts, or arts and technology; or also: Japanese culture, history, innovation, and infrastructure (e.g., bullet train design)

Start right away in the fall with a one-credit course and work on your project throughout the academic year, with two credits in winter, and three in the spring. Or start during any quarter of the academic year. Work with us on an interdisciplinary project that also involves a professor from engineering, nursing or business.