A s an undergraduate student at Northern Kentucky University, I never strongly considered participating in research. My impression was that it took place indoors sitting in front of computers or in labs, and as an environmental science major and outdoor enthusiast I was concerned that research would conflict with my passion for the outdoors. However, I began to consider undergraduate research when I learned about its many experiential and personal benefits. I wanted to be better suited for a career in environmental science, and I wanted to gain further life experience through travel. I applied for a summer research position with my professor to work at the University of California, Davis (UCD) on an existing research project and was accepted. As I learned from this experience, research is in fact very diverse. The overarching goal of the project is to gain an understanding of how elevated soil lead levels may affect urban gardening activities in Sacramento, CA. With more people interested in access to healthy foods, many have turned to urban gardening as an affordable solution. Lead, which has accumulated in urban soils from historic sources, is sometimes viewed as a barrier to urban gardening. Renewed interest in urban gardening and concern over elevated soil lead levels has created the dual opportunity to 1) investigate the distribution of soil lead levels in the city, and 2) inquire into how knowledge of that information may affect the local community. In partnership with Ubuntu Green, a Sacramento non-profit aimed at increasing access to healthy food, researchers working with UCD addressed questions from a combined biogeophysical and social science perspective. Since this research involves more than one discipline it is considered interdisciplinary research, defined as research that involves the use of multiple academic disciplines in order to develop a deeper understanding of scientific questions (Committee on Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research, 2004). The social science team is investigating how knowledge of elevated soil lead may influence an individual’s sense of place and empowerment. The biogeophysical team is interested in identifying the spatial distribution of lead at multiple scales, including the garden, home, and city scale. Collectively, the group is working to increase opportunities for healthy urban gardening in Sacramento. Project goals have been advanced through the joint development of research questions, shared methodology, and sustained feedback throughout the project between both teams as well as community partners. There are many benefits that undergraduates can gain from participating in research, especially interdisciplinary work. Science that diCorrespondence to: koenigd1@nku.edu