Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Description

The IUPUI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program is a campus-wide grants program that encourages and supports undergraduate students to work with a faculty mentor on a research or other creative project. Students who engage in undergraduate research learn through inquiry and experience with an intensity and depth not likely encountered in the classroom. UROP is administered and funded by the IUPUI Center for Research and Learning.

You may download a copy of the complete program description as a pdf. General grant information can be accessed through this site starting on the general information page.

The Definition of Research

The UROP defines research very broadly. Research includes any scholarly, or artistic activities that leads to the production of new knowledge; to increased problem solving capabilities, including design and analysis; to original critical or historical theory and interpretation; or to the production of art or artistic performance.

Get Support and Be Recognized

Students need not participate in all aspects of the UROP but may select activities that best suit their needs over their undergraduate career at IUPUI.

Students may receive project and travel support funds from the UROP Grant Program.

The UROP sponsors the IUPUI Undergraduate Research Symposium each year in the spring where students compete in oral papers presentations or other types of creative expressions of their projects. Awards are given for the best paper. Students may also present papers and posters in the IUPUI Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium held in early August and at the Indiana University Undergraduate Research Conference held in the fall.

The UROP certifies that students have completed a certain set of research activities that qualify them for a transcript notation upon graduation. The requirements for transcript notation can be accessed through these web pages.

The UROP assists students in preparing a research portfolio that will help future employers or professional schools understand what the student has done. This portfolio is required of students who wish to qualify for a transcript notation of research accomplishment.

The UROP Helps Students Connect to Faculty

The UROP assists students in identifying faculty mentors and connecting with them to engage in creative collaborations. A chat room connects students across campus who engage in research and provides opportunities to discuss the research and creative experience with faculty and other scholars. Contact the UROP Director for help. (Kathryn Wilson, kjwilson@iupui.edu ). You may also visit the Mentor Page. This page provides links to faculty who wish to mentor undergraduate research. Faculty should contact the director to add their link to this page.

The UROP Provides Opportunities to Learn More About the Professional Approaches to Research

The UROP sponsors workshops throughout the year that cover such topics as research ethics, the rules of animal care, how to submit a proposal (either to UROP or elsewhere), how to find additional funds for research and other creative endeavors, how to manage a project budget, and how to make a project presentation. These opportunities to learn will be posted on the UROP Home Page throughout the year.