In the Know: The Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund

A World of Possibilities

In recent years students have received funding for individual and team projects across a range of topics, carrying out research both locally and globally. For example, Jola wanted a project that combined her diverse interests in technology, mathematics, economics, and development policy. She decided to research how cryptocurrencies, often considered tools of financial freedom, may reproduce or worsen economic and environmental inequalities. Jola was particularly interested in studying countries with developing economies like Nigeria, where she grew up. “I’m exploring how technologies that promise inclusion can simultaneously create exclusion,” she explains.

Over the past year, students have used DURF funding to study the link between depression and altruism, track minimum wage impacts through daily coffee price fluctuations, explore puppets as a projection of humanity, and evaluate public trust in AI-assisted judicial decision-making. No matter the subject, DURF aims to give students the resources and guidance necessary to pursue the questions that matter most to them—a skill that will serve them long after they graduate. “DURF is designed to help you grow as a researcher, not to reward perfection,” says Jola. “It helped me realize that research doesn’t have to stay in the classroom. It can directly inform how I think about technology, equity, and the economy. So trust the process, and let your curiosity lead the way.”