Pivoting Undergraduate Research in the COVID-era

A panel of undergraduate researchers from across the disciplines describe how they pivoted their research in response to COVID-19 to achieve a productive summer research experience.

Research in the time of COVID

A panel of undergraduate researchers from across the disciplines describe how they pivoted their research in response to COVID-19 to achieve a productive summer research experience.

Over the past 8 months, COVID-19 has disrupted research at the University in a myriad of ways, from, canceled research trips, to the inability to use lab space or interact with research participants, to the need to put in-person ethnographic research on hold out of consideration for community safety. In the face of these challenges, faculty and students have collaborated to develop new methods and creative approaches to keep moving forward on their projects or to develop new lines of inquiry in response to the pandemic.

Recently, a panel of undergraduate researchers from across the disciplines described how they pivoted their research in response to COVID-19 to achieve a productive summer research experience. Sharing their insights and innovations, this conversation may be particularly helpful to students who are thinking about getting started in research in the coming months or who are planning to apply for summer research funding for summer 2021.