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Experiential Learning

Independent learning lets students take responsibility for their education and develop initiative and independence by enhancing their confidence in their own abilities… and it’s required at Ursinus.

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Harnessing Human Energy: How Manipulating Metabolism Can Affect Exercise Performance

Paige Ponzo ’25, a Health Sciences major from Wilmington, Del., is working on a project called “Effects of Acetly-CoA Carboxylase 2 (ACC2) Deletion in Voluntary Wheel Running” under the direction of Associate Professor of Health Science Stephen Kolwicz as a part of the Ursinus College Summer Fellows research program

Research Opportunities in health sciences

Ursinus students are encouraged to work with faculty members on original research. Students work on faculty-initiated research projects, and faculty members serve as mentors for student-initiated research projects.

Opportunities for original research include independent study during a semester and participation in a Summer Research Program.  Research opportunities are available in multiple labs and groups and students interested in research should contact the relevant professor.

Summer Fellows

Summer Fellows in Health Sciences allows you, as a sophomore or junior, to pursue an independent scholarly project under the close tutelage of a Health Sciences faculty mentor, when both you and the professor have more time to devote exclusively to research.

Your faculty mentor will help shape and direct your project, and meetings are scheduled to bring Summer Fellows and mentors together as an intellectual community. All fellows present their research during the last week of the program, and many fellows present at Family Day, the Celebration of Student Achievement, and at professional conferences off campus.

Summer Fellows

Internships

Indeed, nearly all students in the department take advantage of the close proximity of Ursinus to Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs to gain hands-on experience in such settings as major rehabilitation centers, professional sports organizations, community recreation settings, corporate fitness settings and medical schools. Students interested in internship opportunities should connect with their advisor and visit the Career and Professional Development office.

Internships in Health Sciences

Student Teaching

Completion of student teaching as part of the teaching certification program satisfies the Ursinus College requirement for an Experiential Learning Project (XLP). Student teachers spend a semester teaching full-time in a local public school, under the supervision of an Ursinus faculty supervisor and a cooperating teacher at the school site.  

More about Student Teaching

The Health Sciences Department is located in the lower level of the Flow Lewis Bakes Center. The following Health Sciences facilities and resources are available for students who are interested in various research opportunities.

Celebration of Student Achievement 

Every April, in conjunction with the campus wide event, Health Sciences begins the day long Celebration of Student Achievement (CoSA), with a shared breakfast for all Health Science students.

Students who present are able to share their work with their fellow students and HS faculty and gain valuable experience; students who hear a talk learn about work their peers have completed and begin to contemplate about what opportunities are available to them.