FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY
The Summer Opportunities for Advanced Research (SOAR) program invites you to conduct hands-on research around topics you are passionate about. Working one-on-one with a faculty member, you’ll complete 400 hours of research or artistic activities to proactively build your critical thinking skills—and potentially be published in relevant industry journals. This paid summer experience also includes weekly professional development seminars, an end-of-program poster presentation to campus leaders and a community service project for the city. Discover where your passions could take you.
1:1
Faculty Mentorship
400
Hours of Research
60%
didn’t have prior research experience
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ
If you are passionate about engaging in advanced techniques or developments in your field of interest, SOAR is for you. You will learn the skills necessary to grow as a scholar and gain in-depth experience.
Not at all! Science majors can find great research opportunities through SOAR, but so can many other students. The program has supported successful projects in anthropology, history, mathematics, museum studies, philosophy, psychology and other fields. If there’s an area of study you’d like to pursue through SOAR, complete this form and we’ll try to accommodate your interests.
You will earn $3,500 for your 400 hours of work as a SOAR participant. Paychecks will be sent biweekly, totaling five paychecks for 80 hours of work over two-week periods. The $3,500 is pre-taxed, and tax withholdings, FICA, etc. will be withheld.
You will need to complete 400 hours over the summer months—between the end of Commencement Weekend and the start of Matriculation Convocation Weekend.
Yes! As a SOAR participant, you will qualify for free on-campus housing. See payment information for additional details.
Applications for the summer SOAR program are due in spring.
Check out these past projects Ripon students have completed through SOAR.
Anthropology
- “#HerQuarter: ‘Pocket Monuments’ and the Depiction of Women on U.S. Coinage” | Gemma Koester-Jess ’23 and Ursula Dalinghaus
Biology
- “Floral preference and tongue length in bumble bee species: categorizing floral species and corolla tube length” | Lily Lustig ’23 and Benjamin R. Grady
- “Factors affecting the presence of federally endangered pollinator species on Wisconsin prairies” | Julia R. Scharinger ’23 and Benjamin R. Grady
- “Wren Guards Obstruct House Wren Nest Destruction Behavior” | Zach Rowling ’24, Natalie Davies ’24 and Memuna Khan
- “Something Fishy: Rho kinase 2 expression patterns and craniofacial cartilage development in zebrafish embryos” | Ofome Omosotome ’23 and Barbara Sisson
- “The Interactions of fzd7a, fzd7b, and gpc4” | Inesha Wiseman ’23 and Barbara Sisson
- “Comparison of Colony Formation in Two Sessile Rotifers” | Natalie Davies ’24, Alex LaFleur ’24 and Bob Wallace
- “Preliminary report: The effect of litter composition, sex and order of encounter on juvenile play behavior in rats” | Peter J. Stanfield ’23, Anna P. Meixensperger ’24 and Robin M. Forbes-Lorman
Chemistry
- “Synthesis of 4-Quinolones from Benzyne en Route to the Synthesis of the Waltherione C” | Jacob J. Abraham ’25 and Patrick H. Willoughby
- “Evaluation of sp-Relay Substrates for the Rapid Generation of Molecular Complexity” | Kyle R. Koss ’25 and Patrick H. Willoughby
- “Determining Chemical Runoff Contamination in Ripon Area Waterways” | Roberth U. Flores ’24, Than Thar Su ’25 and Colleen M. Byron
- “Efforts Toward the Synthesis of the Waltherione C Using the Hexadehydro-Diels–Alder Reaction” | Jacob J. Oppeneer ’24 and Patrick H. Willoughby
Chemistry-Biology
- “Optimizing Immunohistochemistry in the Rat Brain” | Anna Meixensperger ’24 and Robin Forbes-Lorman
Exercise Science
- “Effects of quadricep dominant versus functional training programs on functional movements and motor unit recruitment” | Tamera M. Holland ’23, Larissa L. Rowley ’23 and Brittany N. Followay
- “Effects of a quadricep dominant versus functional training program on balance, activities of daily living, and motor unit recruitment” | Larissa L. Rowley ’23, Tamera M. Holland ’23 and Brittany N. Followay
History
- “Rethinking Liberal Arts Education at Ripon College in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century” | Olivia Robinson ’24 and Brian Bockelmann
Physics
- “Stabilization of Proteins Against Thermal Denaturation” | Benjamin Hildebrand ’24 and Christina Othon
Political Science
- “Outside Money in New York City and Los Angeles: Can City Council Elections Be Bought?” | Aaron M. O’Halloran ’24 and Henrik M. Schatzinger
Psychology
- “A Helping Paw: Factors Influencing Empathy-like Behaviors” | Olivia R. Mandel ’22 and Julia E. Meyers-Manor
REQUEST MORE INFORMATION
Contacting a program advisor or current SOAR student is a great way to learn more about the experience. You can also complete an application or interest form.
SOAR Program Advisors
Julia Meyers-Manor
Associate Professor of Psychology
[email protected] | Faculty page
Patrick Willoughby
Associate Professor of Chemistry
[email protected] | Faculty page
Two summers in the SOAR program have helped me prepare for graduate school by teaching me many skills that I will need and by providing experience that many graduate schools are looking for.
Natalie Davies ’24
Biology Major, Communication Minor
I got a real sense of what doing ethnographic fieldwork is like for professional anthropologists and learned how to work on a project that went beyond the classroom.
Gemma Koester-Jess ’23
Anthropology and History Majors, Museum Studies Minor
I wanted to gain valuable research experience for medical school and to see if I wanted to change career paths and focus on a career in research. I learned so many lab techniques under the guidance of Dr. Sisson.
Inesha Wiseman ’23
Biology Major, Theatre Minor
DO MORE YOUR WAY
Become the extraordinary individual you are meant to be at Ripon.