Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

The University of Minnesota's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program offers financial awards twice yearly to full time undergraduates for research, scholarly, or creative projects undertaken in partnership with a faculty member. It encourages students to conduct research and pursue academic interests outside of their regular courses by employing them to work on special research projects. CEHSP students are eligible and encouraged to apply.

UROP Guidelines
Faculty Sponsor Information

Student and faculty sponsors note:

Students cannot be awarded credit for the research project conducted under a UROP award.

Application

Application forms can be found at:

http://www.d.umn.edu/urop

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 3, 2008 for projects beginning May 19, 2008 to June 30, 2008 (intersession awards) or July 1, 2008 through June 15, 2009 (regular awards).

Completed applications (hard copies) must be submitted to Lynn Velander in 115 Bohannon Hall before 4:00 p.m. on Monday, March 3, 2008. This deadline is firm; late applications will NOT be accepted.

Current hourly wage: $11.50.

Use this checklist before submitting your application materials.

Criteria

Competition for awards is rigorous. Applications will be prioritized in CEHSP by a faculty committee based on the following criteria:

Review of Relevant Literature (1-5 scale) (Has the context of the project been established?)
Clarity of Goal/Research Hypothesis (1-5 scale) (Has the applicant demonstrated understanding of the project?)
Methodology (1-5 scale) (Are the methods described appropriate to the goal/research hypothesis? Is the timeframe for completion reasonable?)
Research Implications (1-5 scale) (How will results contribute to the field, or answer a problem/question?)
Overall Quality of Proposal (e.g., format, grammar, spelling, punctuation, organization, adherence to 3-page limit guideline, etc.)

Check out these examples of successful proposals: (Since these were awarded, the selection committee has included adherence to three-page limit as part of rating criteria.)

Comparative Kinematics of Regular and Unweighted Treadmill Running (Word document)
Optimism, Explanatory Style, and Athletic Performance (Word document)

Use of Human Subjects

Proposals which involve the use of human subjects must have filed appropriate Human Subject Forms by the time the application is submitted. Detailed information on the process and the application forms is available at the Research Subjects' Protection Program website. Students should work closely with advisors in submission of these forms to prevent delay in getting permission to test subjects.

UMD Undergraduate Research/Artistic Expo

UROP recipients must participate in a UMD Undergraduate Research/Artistic Expo.