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RESEARCH
CHANGES
LIVES

Ignite Curiosity. Spark Discovery.

Contact ACU’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at the button below.
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
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Contact ACU’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at the button below.

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CHANGING LIVES

Whether exploring the use of molten salt as a coolant for nuclear reactors or studying food insecurity in urban areas, students of all disciplines engage in important research alongside faculty mentors who are experts in their fields. Their curiosity and collaboration produce creative solutions to some of our most complex problems, making the world a better place. Enjoy this video with a glimpse into all of the amazing work being done by our faculty and students. Be inspired to join us!

Video highlights of research at ACU

Innovative Students

Senior-biochemistry-major-John-Swartout-works-with-new-equipment-in-the-Inorganic-Chemistry-Research-Laboratory

ACU is a university where scholarly activity and innovation are valued and encouraged. Allowing our students to participate in undergraduate research and other forms of scholarship engages their intellectual curiosity, challenges them to think critically, satisfies their thirst for discovery, and gives them an outlet for their creativity.

The Office of Undergraduate Research, Creativity and Innovation supports the participation of undergraduate students in scholarly research and creative projects through grant funding, hosting the ACU Undergraduate Research Festival, and other collaborative initiatives.

Find out more about undergraduate research initiatives at the button below.

Undergraduate Research

Faculty Who Shine

Dr. Holowiecki studying zebrafish with a student researcher.

At the heart of learning at ACU are dedicated faculty who are experts in their fields, passionately committed to students’ growth and success. Students of all disciplines engage in important research alongside their faculty mentors, often presenting with them at national conferences or sharing as co-authors of published research. ACU’s 270+ full-time faculty members focus on high-quality teaching, scholarship and service. More than 92 percent of tenure-track faculty hold terminal degrees.

Dr. Andrew Holowiecki, assistant professor of biology at Abilene Christian University, and his team of undergraduate researchers are studying the embryonic development of zebrafish in hopes of better understanding human development.  Read the story at the button below.

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Beyond the Laboratory

Not all research happens in a science lab. Significant research is consistently underway in the humanities to strengthen our understanding of who we are and help tell the story of people around the world. Students in ACU’s Department of History and Global Studies are engaged in the important work of researching and archiving stories of the past. In Fall 2022, students researched and archived artifacts from the ACU Museum’s collections, and this spring, students created exhibits that contextualize the findings. The students’ work showcasing ACU’s history is currently displayed at the museum with a grand opening planned for Homecoming 2023.

Read the story

ACU student looking through microscope

Women in ACU NEXT Lab

Become a Research Partner

We work with businesses and industry on a variety of research initiatives among all disciplines from the sciences to the humanities. Collaborators have included NASA Kennedy Space Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, FedEx, Raytheon, Avanzar Technologies, Rockwell Collins and many others. For more information on research opportunities and how you can partner with ACU, please contact Dr. Rusty Kruzelock, vice president for research, at the button below.

Partner With Us

Reaching New Heights with SERC

The new Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) will be located on the south border of the main Abilene campus. The 28,000-square-foot center will include dedicated spaces to support research in chemistry, physics and many different disciplines of engineering. With the addition of the SERC to ACU’s Abilene campus, the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory (NEXT Lab) will have the facilities necessary to complete work funded by a $30.5 million sponsored research agreement with Natura Resources, a collaboration with The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The project is slated to break ground in 2022.

Reach Higher Ground for SERC

 

 

NEXT LAB

NEXT Lab, which stands for Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory, is on a mission to provide global solutions to the world’s most critical needs – energy that is less expensive and safer, water that is pure and abundant, and medical isotopes used to diagnose and treat cancer.

Read More Research News