Take your passion beyond the classroom

Offered by the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education (CASE), the First Year Research Experience (FYRE) is an opportunity for first year and transfer students to work with a faculty mentor on a specific research project.

FYRE students can ask questions, check data, and create knowledge. This program helps students improve critical thinking, communication, presentation, and leadership skills, while fully engaging in their education.

FYRE Showcase, May 7th, 2025! We hope to see you there!

Selecting a Project

You do not have to major in the discipline that matches the FYRE project. In fact, many extraordinarily successful partnerships have resulted from FYRE students and mentors from different disciplines. Students may apply for up to three projects. See below for a full list of available projects.

The FYRE program emphasizes one-on-one mentorship, so only one FYRE student will be selected to work on each project.

See 2024-25 FYRE Research Project Teams here!

About the program

The goal of FYRE is that motivated students will learn to execute solid research methods.

Faculty mentors and students work together throughout the spring semester for an apprentice-style research partnership.

Please join us on May 7th, 2025 in Innovation Lab to check out all of our students and mentors' work that went into their topics this year. They will be able to showcase their research to you and answer your questions. 

 

Applications Closed for 2024-2025!

Additional research opportunities

It's not expected that a comprehensive research project will be completed in a single semester. FYRE students are encouraged to continue more advanced research, including S&T’s Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) projects. Mentors and students may also choose to continue their working relationship beyond the term of the program.

Students on FYRE
Randy Greeves seeks results

Mentored by Shannon Fogg, chair and professor of history and political science, Randy Greeves, a history and political science major, researches the humanitarian efforts applied children's treatment during war. Randy wants to use his research skills in industry when he graduates. In the FYRE program, Randy learned about the difficulties subject matter experts face and how to overcome them to produce results.
Stephanie Dukes knows her path

Mentored by Susan Murray, chair and professor of psychological sciences, Stephanie Dukes, a psychological sciences major studied personal "grit"—how it affects G.P.A. and how a sense of purpose can enhance a person’s grit. Stephanie wants to use her degree to help victims of domestic abuse. The FYRE program taught her how an experiment can be formed from an idea.

Want more information?

For questions, contact Yue-Wern Huang, associate dean of research and external relations in the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education and professor of Biological Sciences. 

Contact: huangy@mst.edu or call 573-341-6589.