Celebrating Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Inquiry at UNE

At the intersection of passion and academics — a place where theory meets practice and students become authors of new knowledge — the 51Æ·²è’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program becomes the crux of fostering the next generation of researchers, thinkers, and change makers.

Tamera King and a 51Æ·²èstudent conduct research in the lab
Stephen Fox and a 51Æ·²èstudent examine a research sample set on lab equipment
Robyn Rollo holds out a snail on her hand while in the marshes next to the Biddeford Campus
Sophia Tearman hold up two peices of seaweed in a Girard Marine Science Center lab
At the SURE Fall Research Symposium a student in a blue shirt gesturs to a poster while a person standing in white looks on.

With an eye toward increasing meaningful student involvement in research, scholarship, and creative inquiry, this competitive stipend program, commonly referred to as SURE, funds summer research projects across a wide range of disciplines, including humanities, health, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, business, education, and marine sciences.

SURE encourages students in the College of Arts and Sciences and Westbrook College of Health Professions to expand their coursework knowledge into advanced realms of understanding, preparing them for further study in their fields.

Peter Hennessy, U N E marine science student, presents research at the SURE Fall Reseach Symposium
Sylvain Jaume, Shane Woloszyn, and James Herbert pause for a photo

Students benefit from close collaboration between faculty mentors, a key aspect of UNE’s approach to undergraduate research. Each year, the program culminates in an annual fall symposium showcasing the research and highlighting the diverse array of scholarly inquiry by students in various disciplines.

The program is part of UNE’s broader commitment to undergraduate research, which sees 46% of undergraduates engage in research activities outside of the classroom. This high level of participation reflects the university’s emphasis on creating new knowledge, promoting interdisciplinary collaborations, and providing students with opportunities to present their work at conferences and even publish scholarly articles.

U N E student Finn Sclafani stands in front of a research poster and smiles at the camera
U N E student Ben Gowell holding a fishing rod for his research on stripped bass
A U N E student in a SURE t-shirt holds a notebook and writes observations of a tree
A 51Æ·²èstudent explains research to Zach Olson, wildlife biologist, and James Herbert, 51Æ·²èpresident at the Fall Reseach Symposium.
U N E faculty member and researcher Pam Morgan and Robyn Rollo crouch down to survey a section of the marsh for invertibretes

By offering these research experiences, 51Æ·²èprovides opportunities for students to confront pressing societal challenges through foundational, translational, and interdisciplinary approaches, making research and scholarship essential components of students’ educational experiences. 

A U N E student stands and stares at a beakers and samples in a lab

This hands-on creation and application of knowledge not only prepares 51Æ·²èstudents for successful careers and graduate study, but it also cultivates the critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential in our rapidly evolving global economy.

A U N E student gestures at a poster while explaining her research to a few attendees of a fall research symposium.
Tom Klack and two U N E students conduct research on chestnut trees
A U N E student presents on their research to a group of interested bystanders at the SURE Fall Research Symposium
Kade Tyrell, a U N E marine science student, presents research on stripped bass.

51Æ·²èStudents Share Their Journey in the SURE Program