Those who drink Coke might want to switch to Pepsi, because if you can dream it, you can do it.

The university uses $50,000 from its contract with Pepsi to fund Undergraduate Special Opportunities in Artistry and Research, an annual program for student-generated research projects.

Within the past year, NIU students have traveled to Kenya to research the state of HIV and AIDS, studied archeology in Sicily, visited botanical sites in England and observed art in Thailand.

“This was a transformational experience for many students,” said interim associate provost Robert Wheeler. “Their lives will not be the same. This is the kind of experience that every student should aspire to.”

Every year about 20 proposals are selected, and each research project is granted up to $2,500.

To begin the application process, students must first think of a research project, find a professor to discuss it with and fill out an application. Applications are available on-line at www.student.niu.edu/usoar/. Click on “obtain an application.”

Applications should be submitted to the students’ college by the end of January. But, depending on the college, submission deadlines could be later, so students should check with their college office for the exact date.

Those who are selected may begin the project March 1 or anytime within the next year.

When students return from their adventures, they are expected to write a report for the university.

Wheeler said he’s received the reports from last year’s students, and they’ve been positive.

“Some students went to a physical therapy conference in Indianapolis and had heard some names but never thought they’d get to meet them,” he said.

Other students visited Kenya, Wheeler said.

“The chance to see public health in a third world country was an important experience for them,” he said.

The report from students working on an archeological dig in Sicily was particularly fascinating because the site dated back farther than the times of the Greeks and Romans, Wheeler said.

“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for undergraduate students that takes learning way beyond the classroom,” he said.