Research and Creative Inquiry

Students configuring lasers in a research lab

WE SEEK

No matter your chosen course of study, the desire to seek new knowledge and ways of thinking is foundational to making the most of your time at Franke Honors. Luckily, we have many unique ways for you to get involved with research and creative inquiry early in your undergraduate career, and, just as importantly, fund those projects. 

PRESENT YOUR RESEARCH AT PINNACLE 2024

W. A. Franke Honors College students have unique opportunities throughout their undergraduate career to engage in faculty-mentored research and creative projects. From your very first year, you can conduct a self-directed research experience through participation in a Quest Project. Throughout your time in Honors, you can enroll in Honors Individual Study courses that allow you to design your own course experience around a topic or outcome you are interested in. All Franke Honors students must complete the Honors Thesis, a project that spans two semesters and can take many forms, from a traditional research paper to a design, novel, or performance. 

In addition to these signature Franke Honors experiences, you may also tap into the myriad of research projects happening across departments and colleges on campus. It is common for faculty members to reach out to the Franke Honors College for talent because they are eager to have Honors students as research assistants.

Exploratory Mini-Grants

Whether you're a fist-year student embarking on a Quest, a senior working on your Honors Thesis, or anywhere in between conducting research at the University of Arizona, if you're a Franke Honors student you have the opportunity to apply for an Eploratory MIni-Grants. Grants are available for individual projects (up to $5k) and team projects (up to $10k). 

Quest Project

Your Quest Project is an opportunity to collaborate with a faculty member on a research project and present the results of your work.

START YOUR QUEST

Individual Study

Have something you're passionate about and want to work one-on-one with a faculty mentor to design a learning experience around it? Consider an Individual Study. 

PLAN A PROJECT

Honors Thesis

A requirement for graduation with Honors, the Honors Thesis is an in-depth longterm project that can take many forms. It's never to early to start thinking about how to make the most of this experience. 

Honors Thesis

Fund Your Research

One advantage to being a Franke Honors student is that you have access to many unique scholarships and grants designed to support student research. 

FIND FUNDING

Opportunities Across Campus

This opportunity board is a place to find research, internship, fellowship, and even job opportunities across the UArizona campus that are open right now to Franke Honors students. 

Research Resources

Learn more about working with human subjects, Honors Thesis-specific funding, and get connected to opportunities at the University outside of Franke Honors. 

Get Resources

Questions about research?

Contact Tori Nardinelli, Assistant Director of Research, Creative Expression, and Professional Initiatives

Interested in becoming a Faculty Mentor?

Fill out this form to be added to our list of Franke Honors faculty mentors. 

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA AT A GLANCE

  • Top 25 public research university, according to the National Science Foundation.
  • $687M total research expenditures.
  • No. 5 in NASA funding among all universities.
  • Member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, 62 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. and Canada.

RESEARCH AT ARIZONA