For more than 30 years, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, or UROP, has paired first- and second-year undergraduate students with research mentors—U-M faculty and graduate student researchers, and community partners and organizations.
The results: More than 58,000 students who have gained access to a wealth of research opportunities that let them tailor their education to their career, academic and life goals.
“Being able to gain research experience and exposure in this field so early in my college career is enriching and rewarding,” said Isabella Balza, an undergraduate student who presented at this year’s UROP symposium, “Humanizing Research: The Quest for Authentic Action.”
Balza was among the 1,300 mentors and mentees who presented their projects at the most recent edition of the annual conference.
For Balza, her work at the Orthopedic Rehabilitation and Biomechanics Laboratory in the U-M School of Kinesiology, where she built data collection and data analysis skills, has inspired her to continue pursuing research as a career path.
Read more about UROP and this year’s symposium in the University Record.
UROP offers one entry point into undergraduate research opportunities at U-M. But it’s not the only path toward a role inside a research lab.
Q: Does your Wolverine have questions about how they can find internships and research opportunities like those offered through UROP?
A: Resource Navigators can help.
Student Life's team of Resource Navigators gives students personalized recommendations and tips on finding internship and research opportunities, whittling down the endless options available at U-M to a manageable list tailored to the student's interests and needs.
The peer-to-peer recommendation program gives students more options for help navigating U-M. Piloted in fall 2021, the program relaunched in fall 2022 with a peer-to-peer model rather than with Student Life staff. Beyond the Resource Navigator program, the Campus Information Centers (CIC) also offers on-campus and online information desks; and a suite of online tools, from the Happening @ Michigan event calendar to interactive campus maps.
Is your student feeling overwhelmed or discouraged in their search? The students serving as Resource Navigators know the feeling—and they're here to help, 6 days a week this summer, at your student’s convenience. In fall, Resource Navigators offer appointments 7 days a week.
Housed within the CIC, students can sign up for 30-minute slots that can be in-person or virtual.