The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, or , is one unique program that offers CU-Boulder students an opportunity to follow academic curiosities in every field. Designed to provide grant-writing experience, connect students to faculty and explore interests beyond the classroom, the program is open to all CU-Boulder undergraduates.
The program funds undergraduate students (up to $1,200) for creative, scholarly and research projects. Interested students must apply by Sept. 15 (HHMI bioscience), or Sept. 30 (grants for individual and team projects that start in fall 2014 or spring 2015).
Part of the Ěý(SUEP), UROP has been around since 1986 and operates by supporting student projects through grants. There are students can apply for, depending on the project and their academic background. They include: individual grants; team grants; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Individual Grants (HHMI); faculty research seminars; faculty assistantships; and the recently added development grant (for students in the creative fields). Assistantships allow students with no prior research experience to work with a faculty member on his or her project and gain exposure to their research process and practice. Other grants support individual or team projects.
“Fundamentally, what we’re doing is funding the collaboration between faculty and undergraduate students, and giving the student the opportunity to see what research looks like, broadly defined” said May Penuela, Coordinator of SUEP programs. “That’s inclusive of all the disciplines.”
Though the majority of UROP awardees come from STEM backgrounds, program leaders urge students of every major to apply. Whether students engage with research in the lab, or analyze data from regional surveys, or bury themselves in a stack of books, every opportunity is valuable. The most important thing for students to recognize is that research takes many forms, and it starts with communication.
“One of the barriers for students to start the research project is that they’re intimidated,” said Penuela, adding that the best way to begin is by using CU’s resources “as frequently as possible.” Looking at department websites, reading faculty profiles, and staying posted on workshops for proposal writing or mock interviews are some initial steps. Last fall, SUEP hosted a UROP Symposium as a social mixer for students and faculty.
“The exercise of talking to faculty is one of the key things for student success,” said Penuela. “Ultimately, that’s what we want students to do.”
For a view of student projects, check out theĚý. UROP-funded students represent a range of fields, including sociology, biology, education, integrated physiology, music and computer science engineering.
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