Research and Community Engagement
Research Abroad Heading link
Participating in undergraduate research abroad is a great way to supplement your coursework and add an experiential dimension to your studies. Programs that offer these opportunities abroad have different ways to participate in research.
- Join an existing research team or project
- Conduct an independent study
- Participate in a field study
See below for some of the programs we’ve partnered with that offer a research component.
Why Conduct Research Abroad? Heading link
- Make valuable connections with researchers and practitioners in the field
- Improve your research, data collection, problem-solving, presentation, and analytical skills
- Explore a specific area of interest
- Start research that you can continue when you return to UIC
- Jumpstart a research project that can serve as the basis for an Honors College Capstone Project
- Participate in a high-impact experience and present at UIC Impact and Research Day
- Become a more competitive applicant for specialized academic programs, graduate school, or future employment
- Prepare for graduate school research opportunities
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia Heading link
DIS is a non-profit study abroad foundation established in Denmark in 1959 through affiliation with the University of Copenhagen. DIS has campus locations in Copenhagen and Stockholm and provides semester, academic year, and summer programs taught in English, offering high-impact learning experiences for upper-division undergraduate students. DIS offers 27 semester program tracks many of which have research options.
Research DIS Heading link
The DIS Abroad research opportunities include:
-
Become a Research Assistant
Fall and Spring – 3 or 6 credits
Join an ongoing research project carried out by a DIS faculty member. As a research assistant, you collaborate closely with your mentor. By the end of your semester, you will grasp the complexities of the research process. Projects range across disciplines, such as environmental science, gender studies, humanities, pre-medicine/health, public health, science, and sustainability.
-
Drive an Independent Research Project
Fall and Spring – 3 credits
Conduct your own research while in Copenhagen or Stockholm! Under the guidance of a DIS faculty member, use Copenhagen as a unique source for your work.
-
Enroll in a Lab
Fall and Spring – 1 or 3 credits
Gain invaluable international lab experience in either medical simulations, climate change, cognitive neuroscience, or computer science.
Euroscholars: Research Abroad Heading link
EuroScholars is a unique research abroad program designed for advanced and talented undergraduate students from US and Canadian institutions looking for an international research experience in Europe. The EuroScholars Program offers these students to conduct research at one of four nternationally renowned European Research Universities. In this program, students have the opportunity to undertake one course in the classroom and then work under the direct supervision of professors and other academic staff on a specific academic research project chosen by both the student and the faculty. There are an abundance of academic research projects in a variety of fields to choose from within the participating European universities.
SIT - The School for International Training Heading link
This portfolio of study abroad programs offer thematic curricula supporting cultural immersion pedagogy. In addition to content coursework, students are prepared through a research methods and ethics course to complete an in-depth, field-based project known as the Independent Study Project (ISP). In each case, the project involves conducting original fieldwork, giving a final presentation, and writing a formal research paper. Students are required to examine the ethics of their research and consider its impact on local communities. For samples of student ISPs, go to the SIT Digital Collections page.
For a list of programs by theme, go to the SIT search engine. Themes include:
- Climate, Environment
- Development, Economy, Inequality
- Global Health
- Media, Arts, Social Change
- Migration, Identity, Resilience
- Peace, Human Rights, Social Movements
No Title Heading link
UIC students have completed a number of unique and interesting independent study projects while studying abroad on an SIT program.
-
No title
Do any of these topics seem interesting to you? Visit the Study Abroad Office to learn more about research abroad! Paula Debkowska Brazil: Social Justice and Sustainable Development The Ecological Coco Park Benefits and Protect of Urban Park Alicia Morales China: Health, Environment, and Traditional Chinese Medicine The Effects of China's Midwife and Doctor Shortage on the Prenatal Care Experiences of the Two Previous Generations of Kunming Mothers Kathy Machaj India: Sustainable Development and Social Change Diversifying Power: An Analysis of Renewal Energy in Uttarakhand Abbey Hays Mongolia: Nomadism, Geopolitics, and the Environment Women’s Sexuality in Mongolia: A Culture of Silence Carrie Boike Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media Kabareh Cheikhats and the Aita Tradition Roha Nehas Morocco: Multiculturalism and Human Rights Exploring Agency in the Moroccan Feminists Narrative Jarred Gastreich Mexico: Migration, Borders, and Transnational Communities Deyabu and Rock Music’s Connection to Migration in Mexico Christopher Paxton Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples Strategic Discourse: Evolving Tibetan Feminism through Empowerment, Leadership, and Activism Lauren Pavic Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples Globalization and Buddhism's three Poisons: Greed, Hatred, and Delusion Neeku Hosseini Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples Hope: Healing in the Hyoimo Community after the Earthquake Jennifer Rodriguez Pineda Nepal: Tibetan and Himalayan Peoples More than Just a Batch: An Overview of Auxiliary Nurse Midwife Students from Jiri Technical School in Solukhumbu Clifton Hamlett Nicaragua: Youth Culture, Literacy, and Media A pesar de la revolución: Reflexiones en la corriente del machismo en la sociedad nicaragüense Hannah Ellis Switzerland: Int'l Studies and Multilateral Diplomacy An Examination of Institutionalized Discrimination Against Muslim Populations in India and China Yesenia Perez Nicaragua: Youth Culture, Literacy, and Media Women of Pearl Lagoon: Her-story and Fight for Autonomy -
No Title
These students' Independent Study Projects were selected by Academic Directors as outstanding examples. These were published in the SIT Digital Collections Database. You can navigate there by clicking on the below links and read these UIC students' projects in full. Sloane Merdinger Panama: Tropical Ecology, Marine Ecosystems & Biodiverse Conservation ISP Title: Comparing Avian Diversity and Anthropogenic Disturbance at Sendero Los Quetzales Cerro Punta, Panamá Development of Health Rehabilitation in Mainland China: From Traditional Chinese Medicine to Modern Western Rehabilitation Methods Read It Here Michelle Moy China: Health, Environment, and Traditional Chinese Medicine ISP Title: Development of Health Rehabilitation in Mainland China: From Traditional Chinese Medicine to Modern Western Rehabilitation Methods Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Asian Studies, Other Medicine and Health Sciences, Other Rehabilitation and Therapy, Translational Medical Research Read It Here Litany Esguerra India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community Self-Perceptions of Disability and Impairment in an Indian ISP Title: Prosthetic Population using Jaipur Foot Technology Asian Studies, Community Health, Health Policy, International Public Health, Orthopedics, Orthotics and Prosthetics Read It Here
University of Minnesota LAC: Psychology and Research in Madrid Heading link
If you’re a Psychology, Spanish, or Neuroscience major or minor, The University of Minnesota Learning Abroad Center Psychology and Research program in Madrid is designed for you. During the six-week summer program, choose either a 6-credit research track or 6-credit non-research track.
During the semester program, take up to 18 credits of psychology along with other English-taught topics courses and Spanish language courses. Both the summer and semester programs allow you to gain an international perspective on psychology and to conduct hands-on research.
Students can be placed in both Spanish and English-Speaking research placements in a laboratory, institute, medical facility or community setting. Browse some potential research placements here and learn more about the program.
SFS - The School for Field Studies Heading link
This portfolio of programs is centered around environmental field studies and human ecology, with curricula anchored in 5 year research plans in 8 locations.
Each program and research station focuses on topics relevant to that specific location.
- Biodiversity & Development in the Andes-Amazon…Peru
- River Ecosystems & Environmental Ethics …Cambodia
- Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies …Panama
- Sustainable Development Studies…Costa Rica
- Wildlife Management Studies…Tanzania
- Himalayan Studies…Bhutan
- Rainforest Studies…Australia & New Zealand
- Marine Resource Studies…Turks and Caicos Islands
Community Engagement Heading link
Welcome to our brand-new site! This section is still under construction but should be available soon!
Please contact sao@uic.edu for any immediate questions or needs.