Mid-SURE presentations and are organized by category. When students register to participate in Mid-SURE, they indicate in which category they intend to compete. If you are registering and are unsure of which category best fits your research topic, contact us and we can help. Categories that receive an insufficient number of projects will be moved to another related category.

Agriculture & Animal Science

Topics related to crop and livestock production include animal science, aquaculture and fisheries, dairy science, poultry science, forestry, agronomy, crop sciences, soil sciences, botany, horticulture, entomology, and agricultural economics.

Arts & Humanities

Topics related to the study of languages/linguistics, literature, the arts, music, theatre, dance, film/photography, history, philosophy, and other related areas.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Topics related to biochemistry, biogeochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, and structural biology.

Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering

Topics related to food quality and safety, food science and food processing, ecosystems protection, homeland security and health protection, biomass utilization, and renewable energy development.

Business & Entrepreneurship

Topics related to accounting, marketing, leadership, finance, administration, supply-chain management, human resources, and other topics pertaining to business and industry.

Cell Biology, Genetics, & Genomics

Topics related to anatomy, cell biology, developmental biology, cancer biology, computational biology, genetics, genomics, and molecular genetics.

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

Topics related to the study of mechanical, physical, and chemical properties of engineering materials, such as metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites.

Civil & Environmental Engineering

Topics related to general civil engineering, environmental engineering, hydrology and water resources, geotechnical engineering, pavements, structures, or transportation.

Computer Science & Engineering

Topics related to the broad areas of information processing and problem solving using digital computers.

Communication Arts & Sciences

Topics related to the theory and practice of communication, including the scholarship on media, advertising, journalism, retailing, telecommunications, and other relevant topics.

Diversity & Interdisciplinary Studies

Topics that do not fit neatly into one single category due to connections with multiple fields of study, or topics that discuss research questions centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Education

Topics related to teaching and learning, policy analysis, or educational administration issues for preschool, elementary, secondary, post-secondary/higher education, and special education.

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Topics related to computer architecture, computer networks, VLSI/microelectronics, electromagnetics, electronic materials and devices, nondestructive evaluation, biomedical engineering, control and robotics, power electronics and systems, and signal processing and communications.

Environmental Science & Natural Resources

Topics related to the interactions among physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment including pollution, biodiversity, sustainability, landscape architecture, and parks and recreation management.

Health Sciences

Topics on health-related research, evidence-based practice, quality improvement projects that may focus on symptom management, health promotion, risk reduction, mental health, big data analysis, systematic review and meta-analysis, hospital quality improvement, patients’ clinical decision making, etc. Topics may also include those related to epidemiology and public health.

Integrative & Organismal Biology

Topics related to evolution, ecology, physiology, behavior, or other aspects of whole organisms as well as interactions among organisms or interactions between organisms and their environment.

Kinesiology & Nutrition

Topics include nutrition in the context of human health, chronic disease prevention, dietetics, international nutrition, and food security. Topics also include those related to the anatomical, biomechanical, developmental, physiological, psychosocial, and neurological aspects of human movement, and how physical activity relates to health, adaptive function, and well-being.

Mechanical Engineering

Topics related to solid mechanics, thermodynamics, control theory, fluid mechanics, machine design, heat transfer, and vibrations.

Microbiology, Immunology, & Infectious Disease

Topics related to bacteriology, environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, microbial physiology, pathogenic microbiology, virology, immunity, immunology of infectious diseases, pathology, and parasitology.

Neuroscience

Topics related to the nervous system of humans or other animals. The neuroscience field is enormously interdisciplinary and includes a wide range of investigations, including molecular; cellular; developmental; physiological; structural; computational; evolutionary; and medical. All have at their core the goal of understanding how the nervous system works.

Pharmacology & Toxicology

Topics related to the adverse effects of chemical, physical, or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, including the prevention and amelioration of such adverse effects. Studies can range from basic research at the molecular/organism/ecosystem level to more applied aspects of treatment or prevention, including social/behavioral factors that contribute to the reduction in exposures to harmful agents.

Physical & Mathematical Sciences

Topics related to physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, mathematics, and applied mathematics.

Plant Science

Topics related to basic and applied research in plant biology, plant pathology, plant biochemistry and plant genetics/genomics.

Psychology

Topics related to the study of the mind and mental processes, especially in relation to behavior, mental and emotion development, cognitive development, and disorders.

Social Sciences

Topics related to the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society, including anthropology, criminal justice, economics, geography, law/legal studies, psychology, planning/design, political science, social work, sociology, and other related areas.

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Don't see a category that fits your project? Categories are updated yearly. We encourage research mentors and students to suggest new or modified categories. Contact the Undergraduate Research Office (ugrsrch@msu.edu).