In its 10th year, UROP still attracting students

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program is celebrating its 10th year of expanding education for first- and second-year students in the world of research.

Research partnerships between undergraduate students and faculty members in the fields of Bio-medicine, Humanities, Science/Engineering and Social Science permit historically underrepresented minority group and women students to reach into their discipline through firsthand experience.

UROP was founded in 1989 to further undergraduate education with research based projects. Funded in part by the Coca-Cola Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Baldwin Foundation and Dupont grants, UROP is able to provide services for research projects through the University. This past summer, 10 students received fellowships to conduct community-based research for 12 weeks.

LSA senior Tanya Myers said she has worked with the program since her first year at the University. Myers added that she has come away with hands-on experience in her field of study and a sharpened sense of the direction of her career.

"UROP has been a great program," Myers said. "I recommend it to everybody. There is only so much you can learn in the classroom. Sometimes you have to go out and learn for yourself."

Myers said she has had the opportunity to work in partnership with SNRE associate Prof. Patrick West. The project she worked on included a community garden and a farmers' market to provide alternative food sources to the polluted water of the Detroit River, from which residents of the Detroit Rosa Parks district fish for recreation and subsistence.

LSA senior Christina Brearly said through UROP she found work with the Father Patrick Jackson House, whose goal is to help pregnant working women continue their education and learn parenting and individual living skills. Brearly has designed an evaluation tool through community-based research to assess the changing needs of the women at the house.

"I have a sense of accomplishment, and I really feel like what I'm doing is going to make a difference in the lives of the girls," Brearly said, adding that she wants to keep working with issues of women's health.

The number of research partnerships has grown to include more than 800 students and 415 faculty researchers today.

Program director for LSA undergraduate education Sandra Gregerman - who has been involved with UROP from its inception - said that there was a growing demand for research partnerships, which benefit academic achievement.

By expanding the program to include more upperclass students in this year, UROP is responding to increased interest in the program, which has drawn national and international attention.

The National Science Foundation awarded UROP its Recognition Award for Integrating Research and Education. The U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education supports an evaluation of UROP's effectiveness in improving student retention.

In addition to the research component, students present their projects at an end-of-the-term symposium, participate in skills workshops to practice research techniques and attend related lectures.

09-08-98