UROP Proposal Prep Session The office of undergraduate Research June 9, 2015 Stephanie.shiver@Utah.edu

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Get paid to work with a Faculty Mentor Research or creative work in any discipline $10/hr. for up to 120 hours in the first semester with an option to renew for a second semester Part-time job: log hours through payroll; log approximately 10 hours a week* *suggested not required

Who is eligible to participate in UROP? Matriculated U of U undergraduate students, not on academic probation, disciplinary probation, or suspension. Attending school full-time (at least 12 credit hours) during the award semester (Summer awards require full-time enrollment in the previous Spring and following Fall semesters). Applicants must be eligible for University employment.* Applicants must have an established relationship with a faculty research mentor at the time of application. Faculty mentors must be current University of Utah faculty members. A student may be awarded a maximum of two semesters of UROP funding (1 new semester + 1 renewal semester).   *If ineligible for University employment, students may still participate in the program but cannot be compensated for their work. Please contact Rachel Hayes-Harb (r.hayes-harb@utah.edu) for more information on this option.

UROP Student Requirements Attend mandatory UROP orientation at the beginning of the award semester. Attend a minimum of TWO events in our Undergraduate Research Education Series  Complete a UROP Final Report by the end of the award semester. Present your research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research, or the National Conference on Undergraduate Research; OR at a national/international professional conference in the discipline (must be pre-approved by the Office of Undergraduate Research) within three semesters of the initial UROP award.  Read and respond to correspondence from the OUR in a timely manner. Conduct the research project under the supervision of the faculty mentor and as proposed in the application–substantial deviations must be discussed with the OUR right away. Obtain and maintain certifications as needed for, e.g.,  Human Subject Research, Animal Research, Laboratory and other Environmental Health, HIPAA, etc. Acknowledge support from the University of Utah Office of Undergraduate Research in the dissemination of the research. Failure to meet these expectations will result in a forfeiture of the award, expulsion from the program and ineligibility to participate in other Office of Undergraduate Research programs, including the URSD.

UROP Proposal 4-6 page project proposal sent to OUR Faculty Mentor portion We send completed proposals out to independent reviewers in relevant academic area Increasingly competitive – strong proposal necessary Option to renew for a second semester – applications identical except for revised proposal and some additional questions on application form. Deadlines are the same.

UROP Deadlines! Application to be funded in the Fall – July 10 Application to be funded in the Spring – November 9

Proposal Evaluation Criteria Project quality: Overall quality of the proposed research or creative work; effective written presentation of the project Plan and timeline: Specific activities to be undertaken; concrete, realistic timeline for completion of the work Suitability of the mentoring relationship: Relationship of the proposed work to the expertise of the faculty mentor; familiarity of the faculty mentor with the student and his/her skills and goals; impact of the proposed mentoring activities Impact on the student’s education: Potential of the UROP experience to substantially enhance the student’s ability to meet educational and/or professional goals Overall assessment of the student/proposal by the faculty mentor

Proposal Details Format: Cover page, double-spaced, 12-point times new roman font, 1-inch margins The proposal must include: a title, applicant name, faculty mentor name and department, and the following sections: Statement of the problem/topic of the research or creative work Relevant background/literature review Specific activities to be undertaken and a timetable allotted for each activity Relationship of the proposed work to the expertise of the faculty mentor Relationship of the proposed work to the student’s future goals Complete the online application form. The form requires student and faculty mentor information, title of proposal, and 4-6 page proposal attached as a pdf (name the file LAST NAME Proposal.pdf). Upon submission of the form, students will receive an email that must be forwarded to the faculty mentor. This email contains a link for the faculty mentor to follow to provide her/his recommendation. The faculty mentor’s recommendation must be received by the faculty deadline in order for an application to be considered for funding. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the faculty mentor receives the emailed link and is aware of the deadline.

Sample Proposals 3 samples in different subject areas: Biochemistry Communication Political Science Use them as a guide, NOT as a formula. Look for: Formatting and flow How required content can be organized and explained These proposals are not perfect; they are good examples of proposals that have been accepted.* *Disclaimer – These proposals were awarded in the semester they were submitted. This does not reflect the applicant pool in other semesters.

Statement of problem/topic of research or creative work Purpose: to clearly set out what topic/issue you will be addressing in your UROP project; to make clear that it is concrete and important Things to notice about sample proposals: Different orders/formats “Impact” or “significance”

Relevant Background/Literature Review Purpose: to make clear that student understands where project lies in broader context; to exhibit that student is engaged in project already - enough to be able to effectively pursue project Things to notice about sample proposals: Different orders/formats

Specific Activities/Timeline Purpose: concrete, achievable timeline within 120 hours (project is part of much larger project, but what are we funding?); evidence that work will be done with mentor Things to notice about sample proposals: What the steps are will differ The actual timeline will differ How it is presented in proposal can differ

Relationship of project to mentor’s expertise Purpose: 1- that you are utilizing your faculty’s specific expertise and really gleaning what you can from their very specialized knowledge and 2 – that they will be actually mentoring you* *This part evaluation area also takes into account some of the mentor’s portion of the application and feeds into the timeline part of your own – specific activities to be done with mentor.

Relationship to student’s goals Purpose: to show that your project facilitates your educational or career goals: that you have thought about how the project fits into your larger personal goals; and that your project will actually facilitate those goals for you Things to notice about sample proposals: All look different - and they should! All legitimate reasons that a UROP research experience is important to the student

Workshop your proposal Structure Format Evaluation criteria content/Proposal requirements Writing quality Identify strengths and areas for improvement

OUR Contact Information Stephanie Shiver, Undergraduate Research Advisor stephanie.shiver@utah.edu 801-587-2189 OUR Office Phone our@utah.edu 801-581-8070 our.utah.edu