The Discovery Scholars Program (DSP) was founded in 2014 as a college-wide celebration of undergraduate scholarship. DSP aims to nurture undergraduate discovery through research with faculty mentors and encourage students to continue their education in graduate or professional school. Any College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate who is engaged in scholarship with faculty guidance outside of regular class activities can join the program as a DSP Scholar.

Scholars may be supported by other undergraduate research programs (e.g., HHMI MARC AMP BRAiN , or BRIDGES), working on an Honors College thesis, or even working independently with a faculty mentor. While working to complete their project, DSP Scholars also identify and work toward the completion of different benchmarks , which DSP celebrates along the way with DSP swag. DSP scholars and mentors receive a T-shirt when they enter the program, messenger bags and hoodies after completing portions of the benchmarks, and a graduation stole upon completion.

Why become a Discovery Scholar?

The goal of the Discovery Scholars Program (DSP) is to nurture undergraduates through scholarly and creative projects with faculty and staff mentors, and to encourage scholars to continue their education in graduate or professional school. Through the DSP, scholars become active collaborators and gain invaluable experience for their future academic and/or career aspirations.

“No matter what […] your passions are, research is a tool to go beyond the textbook, beyond the classroom, and the Discovery Scholars Program gets the conversation started.” –Luke Sanchez, Biology Scholar

What do Discovery Scholars do?

Discovery Scholars work closely with their faculty mentor to identify a feasible scholarly or creative project that is not already part of existing coursework. Projects will naturally be aligned with the mentor’s area of expertise, so keep that in mind when contacting potential mentors. While working on their projects, scholars also complete 7 benchmarks, which are designed to promote professional development and academic growth. Completing benchmarks also gets you additional DSP swag!

“Not only is it helping structure the process of my research and get through it, but it’s also encouraged me to take things further. It’s gotten me excited about my academic future.” –Fallon Murphy, Communication Studies Scholar

How do Discovery Scholars find mentors?

Any faculty member from one of the Departments within the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) can potentially be a mentor, although not everyone is always available. The List of Potential Mentors page contains faculty members who are currently accepting new scholars, but the list is not exhaustive. That is, if your favorite CAS professor isn’t listed, feel free to email them and inquire about it. Once you find a mento and agree upon a project, simply return to the DSP website and complete an application. There is no cost associated with any of this. DSP exists to promote and celebrate undergraduate research.

“I want to inspire other students to apply to this program, because it’s very diverse. So, based on their interests, they can do whatever they want, as long as they report something new to their field.” –Jessica Tarin, Communications Studies Scholar

If you have more questions, please check out our FAQ.