Discovery Park District announces DUIRI projects for summer 2026; applications now being accepted

Discovery Park District has posted new research projects for the Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship’s summer 2026 session. Undergraduate students can view the list of DUIRI projects and apply for the summer session at the DUIRI website.

Undergraduate students may apply for up to three projects. Eligible applicants must be undergraduate students enrolled at Purdue’s West Lafayette or Indianapolis campuses, having completed at least one semester of studies and maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students may participate in only one project per semester.

The student application deadline is April 6. Faculty project supervisors will review all eligible applications before making final selections, and students will be notified of their acceptance on April 24.

During the summer session, student teams will conduct research on interdisciplinary projects that address challenges in the areas of global security, health and sustainability. Their work will culminate with a poster presentation and a one-page abstract summarizing their results. Assuming all program requirements are met, each participating student will receive a $5,000 summer term fellowship from the DUIRI program.

This summer, several projects will be supported through partnerships with Purdue’s Institute for a Sustainable Future (ISF) and the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS).

• Projects aligned with global sustainability research themes will engage with initiatives connected to ISF, promoting interdisciplinary work on topics such as water challenges, environmental stressors, climate science, environmental justice, renewable energy and sustainable communities.
• Projects addressing global security challenges will be supported in collaboration with CERIAS, Purdue’s leading center for cybersecurity and information assurance research.

Projects associated with partner institutes may include identifiers in their titles, and students selected for these roles will have opportunities to connect with ISF and CERIAS research initiatives and networks.

The DUIRI program provides opportunities for undergraduate students to collaborate with Purdue researchers on cutting-edge interdisciplinary projects, bringing together faculty and student expertise from multiple disciplines to develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.

For more information, email duiri@purdue.edu or pramanna@purdue.edu