Our research seeks to understand how inter-organ metabolite exchange and metabolic dysregulation contribute to the development and progression of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Students will have opportunities to gain hands-on experience in metabolomics, bioinformatics, molecular and biochemical assays, stable isotope tracing, and animal studies.

The undergraduate researcher will work one-on-one with a graduate student who will serve as their primary research mentor, providing hands-on training and guidance throughout the project.

Join a multi-disciplinary research team including clinical neuropsychologists, audiologists and speech and hearing scientists studying the impact of hearing on quality of life in cochlear implant users. In this role, you will learn about clinical neuropsychology, hearing science, smartphone data collection technology, social network analysis and more.

Research Topic: Effect of chronic opioid use on early cardiovascular development. Up to 22% of pregnant women either receive opioid pain medications or misuse opioids, consequently exposing their fetuses to potential adverse outcomes such as congenital heart defects, stillbirths, and disrupted early cardiovascular development (eCVD). While cessation of opioid use might not be possible, effective and individualized pain management during pregnancy is critical and strongly warranted. However, the precise details of how opioid timing, dose, and type affect eCVD remain poorly understood. There is an urgent need to investigate the impact of opioids on eCVD in models that faithfully simulate human embryonic development. Without such knowledge, establishing a guide for opioid treatment during pregnancy to mitigate adverse cardiovascular outcomes in neonates remains unlikely.

This undergraduate research fellowship offers a student the opportunity to work with University Housing & Dining staff on a project focused on improving food allergy safety in campus dining.

The Attachment and Neurodevelopment Lab is directed by Dr. Lane Strathearn, a neuroscientist and developmental-behavioral pediatrician at the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD) at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Our lab explores how early relationships between parents and children shape brain development and long-term well-being. We use tools like brain imaging, semi-structured interviews, genetic and epigenetics testing, and hormone analysis to better understand how parents respond to their children—especially in situations involving stress, substance use, or developmental challenges like autism. Our goal is to support healthy development by learning how strong, nurturing relationships are built from the very beginning.

The overall goal of our lab is to understand the interactions between different environmental factors and microbes using a One Health framework, or the shared health of humans, animal and the environment. The specific project the student will be involved with is investigating farmers' risk factor of tick-borne diseases.

Characterizing Alcohol Risk in Development (CARD). The purpose of this research is to better understand factors that can increase or decrease the likelihood that teenagers and young adults will drink alcohol and experience negative consequences from drinking.

The research project seeks to reveal how humans interpret complex real-world sounds by measuring how their interpretations change (e.g., what made that sound? what did that person say?) as the acoustical structure of the sounds is carefully modified be experimenters.

Undergraduate students in the McLendon lab will help investigate how different isoforms of a protein, Sorbs2, impact the cytoskeletal structure of vascular smooth muscle cells. To accomplish this goal, an undergraduate researcher will learn molecular cloning techniques, tissue culture maintenance, transfection experiments, and western blotting. Students will have the opportunity to present their research findings at conferences and will be able to include valuable research experience to their CV. If a student wishes to take this opportunity, they would become a valuable member of the team and would have access to other students if they need training or questions answered.

The research focuses on investigating the signaling mechanisms underlying the development of obesity and breast cancer. This project offers ample opportunities for undergraduate student involvement. Depending on their experience, students may assist with lab maintenance, support experimental procedures, and receive guidance in applying for the ICRU fellowship. With substantial contributions, students may also have the opportunity to co-author manuscripts.