Providing real-world experiences isn’t just an option, it’s a priority. We want you to graduate knowing you have a practical foundation for whatever career path or education opportunity you embark on next. These state-of-the-art centers and facilities provide countless learning opportunities, connections, and insight into your area of study
The Kentucky Center for Mathematics (KCM) provides and develops statewide leadership, facilitates professional learning experiences, and cultivates innovation with the aim of improving mathematics education that is grounded in research, centered on practice and focused on learners. NKU faculty and students have the opportunity to participate in many of the activities led by the KCM.
The Center for Applied Anthropology (CfAA) collaborates and conducts community-based ethnographic research with government agencies and local, national, and international non-profit organizations. Students are primarily engaged in guided applied ethnographic fieldwork where they learn about research ethics, data collection, observation and interviewing skills, data analysis, and more.
The Burkardt Consulting Center (BCC) provides statistical support for research and publication to faculty and students at Northern Kentucky University, as well as members of the surrounding community. Clients utilize the BCC for a variety of projects, studies, and experiments that involve elements of statistics and/or mathematical modeling. The BCC also provides a venue for undergraduate mathematics/statistics majors to gain valuable experience consulting with clients on real-world problems.
CINSAM’s mission is to promote enthusiasm, excellence, and equity at pre-school through undergraduate levels by advancing and integrating teaching, learning and scholarship in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In addition to working with our regional P-12 schools, CINSAM leads projects where students are involved in STEM research, leadership, and communication opportunities.
The Center for Public History (CPH) gives students the opportunity to work with museums and cultural heritage organizations through its collaborations with cities, museums and parks to gather historical information, preserve artifacts and create exhibits for the public. You can see the visual impacts of the center’s work throughout our region where our students work with faculty to research and design beautiful and meaningful projects in area hospitals, companies, and agencies.
The Haile Planetarium in the Department of Physics, Geology, and Engineering Technology Departments is focused on educating and inspiring students, faculty and the community about our universe. The planetarium is multifunctional and can be used to allow classes to visualize aspects of many different disciplines such as history, biology, chemistry, art, music, and more.
The Schneider Observatory supports astronomy labs with hands-on research and private viewing opportunities for projects, studies and applied research. They also promote community engagement through public viewing sessions. This unique multi-user environment allows us to align our goals for undergraduate research and community outreach.
The Anthropology Museum curates and exhibits cultural materials from around the world to promote awareness and understanding of cultural diversity at NKU and surrounding communities among students, faculty, staff, and the general public. Our collections focus on contemporary arts of Native Americans, and contemporary ethnographic and folk arts of world cultures, especially those of Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea. These collections also support the Museum’s educational outreach for K-12 students and groups of all ages.
Students have the profoundly impactful opportunity to learn about the complexity of the human body in our cadaver lab, applying anatomy and physiology concepts they have previously learned in class in a lasting way. Students of different levels in our region can respectfully learn about the body and their interests in medicine in this unique teaching environment.
NKU’s SOTA Galleries host exhibitions of high-quality art from regional, national, and international artists. The galleries also serve as a creative forum for students, the campus community, and region. From senior exhibitions to events where poets share their craft surrounded by an inspiring artistic environment, our students of all majors have the opportunity to explore and cultivate their creativity through the use of these beautiful spaces.
With several theatres and performance halls, SOTA provides premier opportunities for students to learn, thrive, and perform. Our theatre spaces are also sought after by regional groups and national speakers and performers. Our students and entire community benefit from the opportunities these spaces offer.
The Research and Education Field Station (REFS) is a learning center where research, education, and nature merge. Students can participate in regional environmental and ecological research with faculty and professionals in the field during outdoor-oriented courses with access to wetlands, upland old growth forest, meadowlands, streams, and the Ohio River.
The Dorothy Westerman Herrmann Science Center and the Health Innovation Center house numerous laboratory spaces with shared scientific equipment including a new Waters Xevo G2-XS QToF Mass Spectrometer with ACQUITY UPLC and Peak Scientific Nitrogen Generator for metabolomics experiments. Other equipment includes a flash chromatograph, a confocal microscope, a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer, a 500 MHz Fourier Transform NMR (Bruker), and an atomic force microscope. The equipment is utilized by students during independent research with faculty, but also through experiments conducted within laboratory courses.
Neuroscience faculty from departments including Biological Sciences and Psychological Science work collaboratively in state-of-the-science laboratory facilities for teaching and research. Studies of the brain and behavior provide new insights into treating drug addiction, the effect of infection and drug use on the developing brain, and the impact of widespread pollutants on brain function. Students are able to discover changes in individual cells, neurotransmitters, hormones, gene expression, and behavior to get a complete picture of how the nervous system responds.
The College of Arts and Sciences offers several internal grant opportunities to fund research and creative activities involving students and faculty.
