Research Opportunities
The Rehabilitation Institute is nationally and internationally recognized for the research expertise of its faculty. Undergraduate students who have demonstrated a high degree of classroom proficiency and a commitment towards continuing their education in graduate school are strongly encouraged to seek out research opportunities with faculty members whose interests fit their own. These additional research opportunities provide the student with a valuable learning experience that will aid them in the transition from undergraduate to graduate education, as well as result in conference presentations at regional, national, and even international conferences, and possibly even published articles.
Students who have participated in research projects with faculty and graduate students in the past have explored such topics as attitudes towards substance use among persons with disabilities, video modeling to teach leisure skills to persons with severe developmental disabilities, and the happiness of persons with severe developmental disabilities. Projects have been presented at such regional and national conferences as the National Rehabilitation Association, National Council for Rehabilitation Educators, the Mid-American Association for Behavior Analysis, and the Association for Behavior Analysis. Students who are interested in pursuing graduate school and gaining more experience in research are strongly encouraged to discuss such opportunities with their Rehabilitation Services professors.
The Research Enriched Academic Challenge (REACH) program, operated through the Office of Sponsored Project Administration (OSPA) at SIUC, supports and promotes theintegration of research, scholarly, and creative activities into the undergraduate experience. Through this program, undergraduate assistantships and one-year awards of up to $1,500 is available on a competitive basis to undergraduates conducting research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Projects begin in July and end the following June.