Research
Research and Creative Endeavor
Research takes many forms in the arts, from painting, designing web pages and researching art history and aesthetics to music and theatre performance, musicological research and theatrical set design. Just as VPA faculty is actively engaged in their specialty area of research/creative endeavor, ongoing activity in undergraduate research/creative endeavor is very important for our students. Purdue University Fort Wayne is committed to enriching the undergraduate experience by providing opportunities for students to experience first-hand the process of scholarly exploration and discovery.
Talk to your advisor or department chair about how you can develop your area of research/creative endeavor in collaboration with faculty beyond your classroom experience. You may present your own art exhibition at a local gallery or shop, perform for the residents of a senior center, produce light or set design for a regional school production or enter a competition.
Sharing your research/creative endeavor with the community will provide valuable professional experience for you, add to your list of accomplishments on your resume, and enrich the quality of life in our region while bringing recognition to Purdue Fort Wayne as the Center for Arts Education in Northeastern Indiana.
To support these efforts and those of the faculty mentors involved, the university offers the following grant programs to students engaged in research and creative activities:
Undergraduate Summer Research Support Program
Successful applicants will receive up to $1,000 in project expenses, reimbursed to the faculty mentor’s department, to support their research during the summer. Please note that salary/wages/stipend is not an allowable expense.
Grant-in-Aid of Research or Creative Activity
Funding may be awarded up to $1,000. The applicant's department and/or school/college must provide an equal amount.Funds can be used for expenses not eligible for funding through other resources. Funds may not be used for wages, salary, or conference attendance/participation. Travel requests of any nature are not accepted.
Student Conference Travel Program
Subject to availability, funding may be awarded up to $250. No funding will be awarded without confirmation of the level of financial support from the department and the college/school.
Annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor Symposium
The annual Student Research and Creative Endeavor Symposium provides an excellent opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present posters on research and creative endeavors to an audience of faculty and student peers.
Student Research
Purdue Fort Wayne is a crossroads of research, scholarship, and creative endeavors. Our professors are known around the world for their work in science, literature, history, engineering, and more. There’s always something happening in our classrooms and labs, and you can find a multitude of ways to dig deeper within our Centers of Excellence.