Become a Discovery Scholar!
The Discovery Scholars Program
The Discovery Scholars Program (DSP) was founded in 2014 as an initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences at NMSU. As of Fall 2024, it is expanding to the College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation and recruiting undergraduate majors from both A & S and HEST to participate. The DSP aims to nurture undergraduate discovery by enabling students to complete research under the guidance of faculty mentors and through encouraging them to continue their education in graduate or professional school. Any undergraduate who is engaged in scholarship with faculty oversight outside of regular class activities can join the program as a DSP Scholar. While working to complete milestones on their project, DSP Scholars also identify and work toward the completion of different professional development goals, such as presenting at conferences or applying to graduate school, activities that the DSP program celebrates along the way.
No matter what ... your passions are, research is a tool to go beyond the textbook, beyond the classroom, and the Discovery Scholars Program gets the conversation started.
Watch this video to know more about DSP!
Why become a Discovery Scholar?
The goal of the Discovery Scholars Program (DSP) is to nurture undergraduates through scholarly and creative projects with faculty and staff mentors, and to encourage scholars to continue their education in graduate or professional school. Through the DSP, scholars become active collaborators and gain invaluable experience for their future academic and/or career aspirations.
What do Discovery Scholars do?
Discovery Scholars work closely with their faculty mentor to identify a feasible scholarly or creative project that is not already part of existing coursework. Projects typically take anywhere from 1 to 3 semesters, although there are no restrictions on project length. Projects will naturally be aligned with the mentor’s area of expertise, so keep that in mind when ... contacting potential mentors. While working on their projects, scholars also identify and complete professional development goals that promote academic and career success.
How do Scholars find mentors?
Any faculty member from Arts and Sciences or HEST at New Mexico State University can potentially be a mentor, although not everyone is always available. The easiest way to find a mentor is to ask one of your favorite professors or someone who has taught your favorite class. Even if they are not available to be a mentor, they might have a good recommendation ... for you. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us and let us know what sort of research or scholarly work interests you!