Summer Research & Research Policies
Penn has a strong commitment to undergraduate research, and VIPER uniquely positions its students to connect to cutting-edge research with Penn faculty members and have access to interdisciplinary resources and facilities in energy science and engineering. VIPER students dive into the world of research early in their academic career, and their research efforts are continuously supported throughout their time at Penn.
The On-Ramp to Research
Each VIPER cohort participates in a two-seminar series, VIPR-1200 (in the spring of their first year) and VIPR-1210 (in the fall of their second year), as well as conducts on-campus research during their first summer at Penn. Throughout the program, students participate actively in energy-related events, both within VIPER and at Penn, and are encouraged to engage in the VIPER community.
VIPR-1200 (First Year, Spring)
Explore Energy Topics and Propose Project
Students explore a variety of current energy research topics, discuss the challenges involved with conducting research, and get valuable practice reading technical papers. Students receive guidance for how to identify and join the research group of a Penn faculty member who is aligned with their interests and craft research proposals for the work they will be doing in the summer.
Summer Research (First Year: Summer)
Conduct Research On-Campus
During their first summer, students are expected to conduct research on-campus with a Penn faculty member on-campus in their respective laboratories. They have the opportunity to participate in regular summer lunches which serve as an additional support network for their research.
VIPR-1210 (Sophomore Year: Fall)
Build Skills in Science Communication
Students build their skills in science communication as they share their work with others in the scientific community. In this course, students get practice in presenting their research in various forms, including posters and presentations.
Summer Research at Penn
Ongoing research experience in Penn’s science and engineering laboratories is fundamental to the strength of the VIPER curriculum, and VIPER students have the opportunity to conduct graduate-level research with Penn's renowned faculty members. The introductory spring seminar, VIPR-1200, helps students identify and join Penn research groups based on the student's individual interest. After VIPR-1200, VIPER students are expected to conduct research on-campus under the guidance of their Penn faculty advisor during their first summer. Following the completion of a student’s summer, each student should submit a summary of their research experiences.
My VIPER Summer
I’ve absolutely gained the confidence of knowing I can be given a new topic and I can understand it because of my mentors in the lab.
Summer Support
VIPER summer research experiences at Penn last for 12 weeks and are full-time, 40 hours per week. VIPER provides significant financial support towards summer research experiences, including:
- A housing stipend for living expenses
- Supplemental summer research funding
- Supplemental funds for conference-related travel (offered year-round). Together with research groups, VIPER can split costs associated with VIPER students’ travel to conferences to share their research broadly, up to $800.
Supplemental Summer Research Funding
Request Approval and Process Deadline: August 25th
VIPER can provide additional funding to research groups in support of VIPER students' summer research. For each summer, Penn faculty members can request up to the following amounts of laboratory research funding:
- $1,000 for 1 students
- $1,800 for 2 students
- $2,500 for 3 students
- $3,000 for 4 or more students
Please note that these funds must be used to support the research of VIPER students being conducted this summer. All requests for summer research funds must be approved and processed by August 25 and cannot roll over to following years.
All purchases must comply with the University of Pennsylvania's policies for approved purchases and should be able to be purchased with a Chart of Accounts (COA) number. Please see Penn Purchasing Services for guidance. A member of the research group would be responsible for ensuring that purchases comply with University policy.
Please submit requests using the submission form below. We will be in contact regarding the initial approval and next steps. Please note that the initial approval will only verify that purchases are appropriate within VIPER's policy, and the member of the research group placing the order is responsible for ensuring that purchase requests are in accordance with University policy.
Summer Policies
- If desired, students may take up to one summer class at Penn while simultaneously conducting summer research.
Students who elect to do this are responsible for tuition costs. - If VIPER students are unable to complete the 12 weeks of summer research, they must receive permission from their Penn faculty advisor and the VIPER leadership. Depending on the number of weeks not completed toward the 12-week requirement, the student may be required to complete a semester of independent study research in the following fall semester for 1 CU of academic credit.
- VIPER students can opt into conducting research for a third summer of research at Penn and receive VIPER funding. Students who choose to do this should indicate this interest by submitting a summer research project proposal in the spring. Students who complete a third summer can use this credit to fulfill one of their VIPER energy course requirements.
Continuous Research into Senior Year
Following the completion of all regular semester-based research experience, each student should submit a summary of their research experiences.
Since research is a fundamental building block of VIPER science and engineering curriculum, students are strongly encouraged to stay involved in research laboratories on campus during the fall and spring terms – via informal or voluntary activities or per the discretion of the student’s research mentor -- even if they aren't formally conducting research during that time.
As VIPER students proceed through the curriculum during their years at Penn and engage successive research experiences on campus, they are encouraged to remain involved with their original lab and research group, in order to build expertise and depth of knowledge. However, if a student and/or research mentor prefer not to continue with the arrangement, the student can take steps towards joining a different research group at Penn.
VIPR-1300 (Sophomore, Junior, Senior Year: Fall & Spring)
Energy Research and Leadership Development
After their first year at Penn, students also take VIPR-1300 for every semester on campus, an asynchronous course aimed at energy research and leadership development. Students continue to participate actively in energy-related events, both within VIPER and at Penn, and are encouraged to engage in the VIPER community.
Research During the Academic Year
Students interested in conducting research under the formal supervision of their Penn faculty advisor during the academic year should register for independent study credit (1 CU per semester) through the appropriate department.
Research Outside Penn
After the first summer, students may propose to conduct summer research at a different institution (ex. national laboratories, other universities, etc.) either in the United States or abroad. Projects will be evaluated by the VIPER leadership team, and students are encouraged to communicate their potential plans as early as possible. Approved projects will reflect graduate-level work in research and development, be comparable to the time commitment of summer research at Penn, and have potential to contribute knowledge to scientific literature. Research at different institutions will fulfill students’ research requirements; however, they are not eligible for VIPER funding or credit.
Learn More about Global Research and Internship Partnerships
Research Project (Senior Year)
Ideally, students work continuously in a Penn science or engineering laboratory for 2-3 years, and by graduation have brought a research project to fruition, resulting in the student as a co-author on a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal. While this accomplishment is widely celebrated, students are not required to publish as a part of the program curriculum.
VIPER research experience is separate from the senior design projects that seniors complete for their respective majors in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS).