Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Overview of the program:
The Department of Biology proudly participates in University of Minnesota's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), which offers financial awards twice yearly to full-time undergraduates for research, scholarly, or creative projects undertaken in partnership with a faculty member. UROP affords undergraduates a unique educational experience of collaborating with a faculty mentor on the design and implementation of a project. At the same time, faculty have opportunity to work closely with students and receive valuable assistance with their own research or professional activity. UROP adds a new dimension to the undergraduate experience. It also encourages students to conduct research and pursue academic interests outside of their regular courses by employing them to work on special projects. Projects are expected to contribute to the students' academic development.
UROP applications are judged on the quality of the proposed project, the strength of the collaboration with the faculty sponsor, and the educational benefit to the student. Since funding is limited, awards are granted to the strongest proposals.
Awards
A stipend (up to $1,400) is available as salary for actual time spent working on a project. This corresponds to approximately 120 total hours of work for the project.
An expense allowance (up to $300) is also available for supplies and expenses required by the project.
Students may receive both a stipend and an expense allowance for a single project making a maximum award of $1,700.
For applications made in the spring, awards are for the approximate period of July 1st through the following June 30th. Awards made in the fall are for the approximate period of January 1st through the following June 30th.
Eligibility
To apply for a UROP you must be a full-time (see below) UMD undergraduate enrolled in a baccalaureate or pre-baccalaureate degree program. Additionally you must be in good academic standing as defined by your college. Individuals on academic probation are not eligible. Adult special students are not eligible.
Full-time student status: During the period of your award, you must be registered for a minimum of six credits per semester.
More information
For more information about the program, deadlines, and application procedures please visit the UROP website:
Sample projects
The following represent a small sample of student UPROP projects that have been pursued and subsequently presented:
"Complementation testing of new spermatogenesis defective mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans"
"Determining the diversity of Archaeal amo-A genes found at different depths in Lake Superior"
“Comparative Study of Betula neolaskana, Betula kenaica, and Betula papyrifera Outer Bark Extracts Against Mouse Melanoma (M2) Cells”
“Accelerated Steel Corrosion; Comparison of Bacterial Communities” “Detecting the presence of Bacterial Ammonia Oxidizers in Lake Superior”
“Comparative Study of the Quality and Quantity of Airborne Microorganisms in
Life Sciences Construction Sites and New Fitness Center-Upper Level-Cardio
Sites” “Exotoxin Production and toxicity from Staphylococcus aureus in potato salad
media using HERZ cells”