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Vertically Integrated Projects

Join a VIP team and earn academic credits for working alongside faculty pursuing ambitious, multi-semester projects. Scroll down to see project details!

 

Beginners welcome.

Work on faculty led, interdisciplinary teams tackling complex challenges

Teams need students with diverse skills, interests, talents, and majors. You don’t have to already be an expert to join a team.

To get started, take a look at the following project info, then complete this inquiry form. Once we have your information, faculty leads will reach out to you to discuss you interests in specific projects.

Need help finding the right project? Contact us for a consultation.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE: ASTRONOMY IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND

In-person: Join this team to do astrophysics research for NASA.

ART OF SCIENTIFIC VISUALIZATION

In-person: Join this team to explore methods and software tools to visualize scientific systems, concepts, and data.

ART-SCIENCE INTEGRATION (ArtSci)

In-person: Supporting students’ exploration of both artistic and scientific ways of understanding this world

AUTONOMOUS ROBOTIC SYSTEMS

In-person: Compete and win in global challenges

BIO-INNOVATIONS

In-person: Data intensive DNA sequencing. On hiatus for Fall 2025

BIOLOGY OF MIGRATORY BIRDS

Research the biology of migratory birds. Not accepting students for Fall 2025

BRAIN HEALTH: VR-Scent for Alzheimer’s Detection

This VIP is on hiatus for Fall 2025. HYBRID: Scent enabled VR worlds

COMPUTING ACROSS CURRICULA

Let's help each other use computers to make our classes and research easier.

CROSSING THE BOISE STATE BRAIN BRIDGE: NEUROSCIENCE FOR THE COMMUNITY

Hybrid. Join this community-focused project that brings neuroscience research to communities and service professionals in engaging, innovative ways.

DIGITAL HUMANITIES: MELVILLE’S MARGINALIA

HYBRID: Apply digital tools for Humanities research.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: From IoT to Big Data

In-person.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

In-person: Tackling sustainability challenges across the planet. Not accepting students for Fall 2025

GENOME 2 PHENOME

In-person

GREEN MATERIALS – MARESUNEX

In-person: Join this team to explore ways to mitigate the materials supply crisis associated with the green technology revolution.

HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL

HYBRID: Address Treasure Valley housing issues

HUMAN COOPERATION LAB

Help solve an environmental issue in our community: On hiatus for Fall 2025

IDAHO ENTREPRENEURS IN ACTION

This VIP is on hiatus for Fall 2025

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY

Hybrid: Capture and create VR worlds

INFLAMMATION AND STEM CELLS

In-person: Research new treatments for Parkinson’s disease

INFORMATICS SKUNKWORKS

HYBRID: Machine Learning

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN CYBERAI

Hybrid: Join this course to explore and address research challenges at the intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

LEADING INNOVATIVE ENERGY DESIGN

In-person: Design solutions for our sustainable energy future

LIVING AND WORKING IN THE WEST

In-person: Join this team to understand what it means to live, work, and play in the contemporary American West, focusing specifically on how rural communities are adapting to environmental and social change. Full for Fall 2025

MAPPING SAGEBRUSH RESTORATION

HYBRID: Field and lab work to save sagebrush

MaRS: MAPPING & REMOTE SENSING

This VIP is on hiatus for Fall 2025.

NASA MICRO-g NExT

In-person: Work on the NASA MICRO-g NEXT CHALLENGE

NASA SUITS

In-person: Work on the NASA SUITS Challenge

NET ZERO FOR BOISE STATE

In-person: Join this team to implement specific actions on campus which will move us toward our goal of reducing green house gas emissions.

NUCLEIC ACID MEMORY

In-person: Pioneering ways to use DNA as a low cost and highly stable data storage material

ORGANOID INTELLIGENCE

In-person: Create 3D biological computers that sense, learn, and control by merging tissue engineering, microelectronics, and machine learning.

PLANT- SOIL INTERACTIONS IN A CHANGING WORLD

In-person: Study environmental change and ecosystems

PLASMA

In-person: Explore plasma applications

PRaMS (Parenting, Reproduction, and Mating Strategies)

In-person: Join this team to test evolutionary hypotheses related to parenting, reproduction, and mating strategies.

RAPTOR CONSERVATION

Not accepting students in Fall 2025

SHAKE IT UP AFTER SCHOOL

Collaborate with students to produce an abridged Shakespeare play. Not accepting students for Fall 2025.

SHARED STORIES LAB

PAUSED – Not accepting students for Fall 2025

TRIBAL URBAN RURAL NEXUS (TURN)

PAUSED – Not accepting students for Fall 2025.

VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

In-person: Vaccine construction using molecular cloning.

WATER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Starting Fall 2025 – Join this team to learn water resources research and management in mountainous western US.

Benefits of VIP Program

“The most important skill I’ve gained through VIP so far has been being comfortable communicating and working as part of a small team. This involves bringing up my own problems and confusions, and also listening to others. This hasn’t been challenging to do in this environment, it’s just helping me overall gain confidence since I am normally a shy person.” VIP 200 student Fall 2020

You can check out other research  opportunities on the Office of Undergraduate Research web site.

The VIP program is based in the Institute for Inclusive and Transformative Scholarship (IFITS).

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