Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Opens Web Site

By Laurie D. T. Mann

Ever wonder where to find the interesting collegiate research projects?   Sure, you could visit every bulletin board on campus, but there’s a faster way.  At Pitt, it’s as easy as typing:  http://www.pitt.edu/~urop.  UROP stands for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.   If you’re interested in an academic year project or in a summer project that might take you to Belize, this Web site has the information for you.

The goal of this site is to give undergraduates the ability to find out about all the opportunities that present themselves in any discipline.  These opportunities include internships, fellowships and competitive awards at the University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere.  The site also features undergraduate researchers who have been recognized nationally and internationally.  Two Pitt faculty members, Lynne Hunter, Biological Sciences and Joe Grabowski, Chemistry, initiated the Web site construction.   Their decision to develop the UROP site for the University of Pittsburgh as inspired by Prof. Ken Jordan, Chemistry.  Hunter and Grabowski ware assisted on UROP project by comments from a small steering committee.  Work on the site has proceeded with support from the College of Arts and Sciences Associated Dean Beverly Harris-Schenz and Vice Provost for Research George Klinzing.

"One the strengths of receiving your undergraduate education at Pitt", Grabowski noted, "is the astonishing number of opportunities to be involved in state-of-the-art research, and to work closely with world renowned faculty, highly talented post-docs, strongly motivated graduate students, and eager classmates.  Yet these opportunities are largely known only inside a given department.  The UROP site provides information to people both inside and outside the university.”

If you are a faculty member and you want to publicize your undergraduate research, award, or internship opportunity at the University of Pittsburgh, send E-mail to urop@pitt.edu to let students know.  In addition to collecting research opportunity data from faculty members and from programs across the country, the UROP site is compiling stories from students.  If you had an interesting undergraduate research experience, send E-mail to urop@pitt.edu to share your experiences with the University of Pittsburgh community.

Special Academic Year Opportunities

This is a list of the special programs and when applications for these programs are typically due. Always check the Web site of the program for up-to-date information.