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Undergraduate research opportunities

AOE students in a wind tunnel
AOE students have opportunities to get involved with a wide variety of ongoing research projects in the department. Here, a group of students examine a piece of equipment in the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel.

AOE encourages undergraduates to gain hands-on experience in our cutting-edge laboratories.

Depending upon interests and abilities, undergraduates can contribute in many ways, including design, measuring, construction, animation, and programming.

How to find research opportunities

Sometimes opportunities are advertised in the relevant classes or posted on the student listserv, but most opportunities arise when an interested student approaches a professor. Students may also propose an independent research project, which they develop in consultation with a faculty advisor.

Undergraduate research (AOE 2994, AOE 4994) and independent studies (AOE 2974, AOE 4974) can count as technical elective credit. 

Explore AOE research programs›