Undergraduate research opportunities program

UROP Guide

Projects Qualifying for an Assistantship

Any research or creative activity pursued under the supervision of a University of Utah faculty member is eligible. Research or creative activity is defined to include projects that pursue evidence to test hypotheses, projects designed to solve specific problems, or artistic creations. 

Finding a faculty sponsor /project:
A directory of faculty willing to sponsor undergraduate projects is available, as is counseling on how to proceed, in the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Sill Center. 
The faculty directory is available online at: http://www.ugs.utah.edu/urop/directory/index.htm.
UROP assistantship funding is limited to one new and one renewal student per faculty sponsor during any semester. Faculty may call Jill Baeder at 581-8070 for further information.

Additional Opportunities for UROP Assistantships

There are a few other opportunities in addition to the usual assistantships, made possible by the following:

• Bamberger Foundation Assistantships
  (All disciplines accepted, 3 available)
• Tony Cummings Assistantships (Community based research, all disciplines accepted)
• Ann K. Volkman Health Sciences Assistantships (Highest scored academically reviewed proposal and application materials within the health sciences)
• Afton B. Bradshaw Assistantship in the Humanities
  

Named Assistantships are awarded fall semester for the academic year.

Student Eligibility

Any student seeking an undergraduate degree at the University of Utah and attending school full-time (at least 12 credit hours) during the semester in which they are participating in their project is eligible. Applicants must not be on academic probation, disciplinary probation or suspension. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required. Students must consult with a faculty member willing to sponsor research or creative work.
Applicants must be eligible for University employment and must report their earnings when applying for other sources of financial aid. Students eligible for work-study may apply their work-study funds to a research position. Students usually work 5 - 20 hours per week and time cards are submitted each pay period (every two weeks).
Each student may submit only one application per semester and is eligible for up to two semesters of support. See Assistantship Renewal Guidelines. Depending on the availability of funds and the quality of the proposal, applications may be 1) funded, 2) returned for revision, 3) partially funded or 4) not funded.

Application Deadlines

• The application deadline to be considered for a fall 2008 assistantship is Thursday, July 17, 2008. Awards for fall  semester will be announced on or before Thursday, August 21, 2008.
• The application deadline to be considered for a spring 2009 assistantship is Thursday, November 13, 2008.
  
• All application materials (including letters of recommendation) must be turned in no later than 4:30 PM on the date specified.
  
• Submit all application materials to:

  Jill Baeder
  Assistant Director, UROP
  Office of Undergraduate Studies
  Sill Center 581-8070  fax 585-3581
  j.baeder@utah.edu

  Absolutely no late or incomplete applications will be accepted, regardless of circumstances. It is the student applicant's responsibility to ensure that her/his application is complete.
  
  

  How to Apply
  

• A complete application consists of five items:
  NO STAPLES!
  

• The signed, completed two-page application form.
  

• A 4-6 page project proposal written by the student and signed by the student and faculty sponsor.

• Two letters of recommendation. E-mailed as an attachment is preferred. Letters of recommendation should be mailed, e-mailed (j.baeder@utah.edu) or delivered to the same place. Faxed letters are also accepted at (801)585-3581.
  

• University of Utah Transcript. The transcript does not need to be official. You can purchase one for $3.00 from the transcript office in the Student Services Building, or it can be printed off the Internet. To print it off the Internet go to http://www.utah.edu. Then choose Students, Registration and Student Records, Secured Student Access (enter your student I.D. and pin#), then View grades. Print the past three semesters (if you have been at the U. fewer than three semesters, then just print those). Go to View Academic Summary and print that page.

  Proposal Preparation
  

• Proposals must provide a thorough discussion of each of the five topics listed below. Proposals should be typed, double-spaced and no longer than five to six pages. The proposal must include a title, applicant name, faculty sponsor name and department. Please note that you are writing for a technical audience. The faculty reviewer is an expert in your area or discipline. Proposal and application materials are reviewed and rated on a 1-10 scale. Depending on the availability of funds and the quality of the proposal, applications may be 1) funded, 2) returned for revision, 3) partially funded or 4) not funded.
  

• It is expected that proposals will be free of grammar/spelling errors and must include appropriate citations. Failure to follow proposal preparation instructions will result in disqualification.
  

  New proposals must include:

  1. A clear, complete description of your project or nature of artistic work, your method of inquiry and expected outcome:
     a. Describe the problem under investigation
     
     b. Identify and discuss the relevant sources to demonstrate familiarity with
     the area of research or creative work that you are proposing.
     
     c. Where applicable, include a clear statement of the research hypothesis and its relevance to the topic under investigation.
     
     d. Discuss expected outcomes.

  2. Describe the specific research or creative activities you will be engaged in and identify a timetable allotted to each major portion of your project during the semester.

  3. Discuss the relationship of your project to the research or creative work of your faculty sponsor.

  4. Discuss your educational objectives in undertaking your project. Describe past experiences which prepare you for this project and your future goals.

  5. The proposal must be signed by the student and approved and signed by the faculty sponsor.

     
     

  Letters of Recommendation
  

• Two letters from professors familiar with your classroom or research capabilities should be included. One of the letters must be from the faculty sponsor for your proposal. Note that both the student and faculty sponsor must sign the "Budget Page" of the application form and the project proposal.

• A renewal request must include a letter from the faculty sponsor and does not require a second letter. See Assistantship Renewal Guidelines. Letters should address the student's ability to perform the proposed work. 

• Letters of recommendation may be sent directly to the UROP office in a sealed envelope addressed to Jill Baeder, Assistant Director, UROP, 132 Sill Center, may be faxed to (801)585-3581
  E-mail is the preferred method. Send to j.baeder@utah.edu Letters that arrive after the deadline may disqualify the student's application.
  

  Human or Animal Research Approval
  

  1. Projects dealing with human subjects. Projects that deal in any way with human subjects must be approved by the University's Human Subjects Committee. This includes questionnaires, surveys, interviews, observations and secondary use of data such as medical charts. APPROVAL MUST BE OBTAINED before your proposal can be submitted for UROP review. Consult page 1 of the UROP Assistantship Application Form for further information about obtaining approval.

  2. Projects dealing with animals. Projects that deal in any way with live animals must have the approval of the University's Animal Care Committee. APPROVAL MUST BE OBTAINED before your proposal can be submitted for UROP review. Consult page 1 of the UROP Assistantship Application form for further information about obtaining approval.

  Supply Budget
  

• For each semester of research, a student will receive hourly wages at $10.00 per hour up to a maximum of $1200. In addition, for a student generated project up to $150 can be requested for incidental expenses (that would normally come out of the student's pocket) and if no other source of funding is available.

• Federal Workstudy Program
  Students are encouraged to look into the Federal Workstudy Program. There are strict requirements and some of you may qualify. Workstudy can provide wages up to $5000 per academic year to qualified students. The UROP Assistantship is listed as a workstudy position. For further information please visit the workstudy website: http://www.sa.utah.edu/finance/work/students/FAQ.html
  
  
• UGS 4800 Undergraduate Research
  During Fall and Spring semester, students must also register for ONE credit hour of UGS 4800 (Undergraduate Research). UGS 4800 is a requirement for your assistantship and is separate from departmental classes you may be taking. UGS 4800 is a one hour class that consists of your scholarly research or creative project under faculty supervision. UGS 4800 is optional for RENEWING UROP students AND SUMMER SEMESTER assistantships.
  
  
• Once your assistantship has been approved you will be provided with a permission code to register for the class. This course requires that you submit an abstract of your research at the end of the semester and a letter grade will be given by the UROP Director. This abstract will be due to Jill Baeder as an e-mailed attachment the last class day of the semester (the date will be specified in the acceptance letter).
  
  
• Abstracts should have a title, identify the semester you worked, your name, class standing, major and the name of your faculty sponsor by rank and department. The abstract must include information regarding the significance of the topic, the investigative strategy and the nature of the conclusions. 

• Abstracts must be formatted in the following style:
  font: palatino lynotype(preferred) or Times new Roman, 11 pt.
  saved in Word, no pdf's please
  abstract TITLE (all caps)
  student name(s) (faculty name(s)) in parentheses
  Department of
  Univerisity of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. 84112

  abstract body
  
• For examples of outstanding student abstracts see: University of Utah Undergraduate Research Abstracts Journal, Spring 2001 - 2007 at:
  http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/browse.php?CISOROOT=/UROP
  
  
  
• Summer Semester UROP
  The summer semester UROP Assistantship follows the same structure as the rest of the academic year. New students will be funded up to $1200 (120 hours of wages) and renewals up to $600 (60 hours). We DO NOT require students to register for classes for summer semester, students are eligible for summer semester funding IF they were full time (12 credit hours) during spring semester. UGS4800 - Undergraduate Research is optional for summer semester.
  
  
• Assistantship Renewal Guidelines
  Assistantships are granted for one semester. Renewals are possible based on availability of funds for an additional semester. Renewals will be considered on the basis of the information contained on the new application form, a revised or new proposal (which should briefly summarize research results from the previous semester and describe the work and provide a timeline for the coming semester) and a new letter of support from the faculty sponsor. UGS4800 is optional for renewing UROP students.Renewals will be considered individually, without any advantage or disadvantage in comparison to new applications.

  Renewals will be funded up to a maximum of $600.00 per semester. Students seeking renewals are encouraged to develop other sources of funding.
  
  Undergraduate Research Symposium
  March 31, 2009 UROP will host an Undergraduate Research Symposium in conjunction with the Honors Program and other departments on our campus. Students will present their research or artistic creative work through poster, oral and performance presentations. The acceptance of a UROP Assistantship requires participation in this event. Click here for information and application.
  
  Undergraduate Research Scholar Designation
  The designation, Undergraduate Research Scholar, to appear in the awards section of the transcripts of graduating students, was approved by the Trustees of the University spring of 2006, and was awarded for the first time to those students graduating in December 2006. Click here for information and application.

• APPLICATION CHECKLIST
  

  Your application packet must contain the following to be
  considered for funding:

  If at any time you have questions regarding the application process, please e-mail at j.baeder@utah.edu

  For all New Applications: (no staples)

• • Fully completed two-page UROP application form.

  • A narrative description of the proposed research or creative project (see Proposal Preparation). The narrative should not exceed five typed, double-spaced pages and must be signed by the applicant and faculty sponsor.

  • Two letters of recommendation from faculty familiar with the applicant's research or creative work. One letter must be from the faculty sponsor. LOR's should be e-mailed as an attachment to J.Baeder@utah.edu 

  • University of Utah Transcript of the last three semesters.

  • All application materials must be submitted no later than 4:30PM on the respective deadline date.

  
  For all Renewals: (no staples)
  

  • Fully completed two-page UROP application form.

  • A revised or new narrative description of the continued or proposed research or creative work, including a clear description of the research results or creative work for the semester the assistantship was held and a plan that includes a timeline for the renewal semester. The narrative should not exceed five typed, double-spaced pages and must be signed by the applicant and faculty sponsor.

  • A new letter of recommendation e-mailed as an attachment from the faculty sponsor.

  
  All application materials must be submitted no later than 4:30PM on the respective deadline date.
  
  Submit all application materials to:
  Jill Baeder
  Assistant Director, UROP
  Office of Undergraduate Studies
  Sill Center (801) 581-8070 fax 585-3581
  j.baeder@utah.edu