Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Undergraduate students are encouraged to take advantage of these research opportunities.
Opportunities Through the College Heading link
100-Hour Undergraduate Research Internship (HURI)
When: Awarded on a semester by semester basis
Application Deadline: Rolling
This funding is provided by the College of Education Office of Research to afford opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in educational research with advanced doctoral student mentors. The funding will cover 100 hours of research participation at the current undergraduate student hourly rate. The Office of Research will fund up to 5 of these awards per year.
Information and Application
The Engaged Research Fellowship (TERF)
When: Awarded on a semester by semester basis
Application Deadline: Applications accepted May 15 for a July 1 start date, August 1 for a September 1 start date and December 15 for a January 15 start date.
About: The Engaged Research Fellowship, supports undergraduate COE students in conducting focused, faculty-mentored research connected to social justice. This fellowship emphasizes applied research, highlighting research that does justice, such as research on justice-related issues, research with community-based organizations, and/or research in response to pressing social issues. Each year, up to 5 fellowships will be awarded.
Information and Application
For more information, contact Lieway at JGLieway@UIC.edu.
Opportunities Through UIC Heading link
UIC Honors College Undergraduate Research Assistant (URA)
When: Awarded on a semester by semester basis
Application Deadline: due by the third week of classes each semester
Honors College students who have completed their freshman year can participate formally in faculty research as a way of satisfying the honors activity requirement. UIC has a wealth of outstanding researchers, and the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program gives honors students an opportunity to work with some of them. The range of research activity is wide, including business, education, engineering, the humanities and the arts, the natural sciences and mathematics, and the social sciences. Undergraduate Research Assistants are expected to put in approximately six hours a week on a project that is part of, or relevant to, the faculty member’s research. The faculty will explain how the work done by the student fits into the larger project, and will make sure that the activity, whatever it is, has educational benefit for the students.
The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago
When: Published annually
Application Deadline: Rolling submissions
The Mission of our Journal is to publish outstanding scholarship of undergraduates in the areas of pure & applied sciences, mathematics, and engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago and showcase the work of the University Scholars. The papers published in this journal will have been reviewed for scientific value by faculty members at UIC. The scientific material in these papers shall be original work performed by the authors. The Journal of Undergraduate research at UIC will be published only in an online version on this web-site, and distribution and reproduction of any material in this journal is prohibited unless permitted by the Editor.
UIC Undergraduate Research Experience (URE)
When: Held annually, duration of the award variable
Application Deadline: Summer prior to commencement of URE
About: The Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) is a university-wide program dedicated to fostering scholarly engagement and intellectual growth. The URE mission is to make research an integral part of the undergraduate academic experience at UIC by creating mutually beneficial research relationships between students and faculty researchers.
Summer Research Opportunities Program For Undergraduates (SROP)
When: Held annually in the summer
Application Deadline: In the Fall semester, the Graduate College invites undergraduates to apply for participation in SROP. The student may apply to the program already having a research project in mind and a committed faculty mentor or simply by having a research area of interest. In cases where a student has an experienced interest but no mentor, the SROP staff will try to facilitate a match.
About: The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) was first established in 1986 by the Graduate Deans of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). The goal of SROP is to introduce domestic underrepresented sophomores and juniors to academic research experiences. Student participants work one-on-one with a faculty mentor giving them an opportunity to experience research and the graduate student experience. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) launched its SROP in 1986, with a total of six minority undergraduate students.
UIC Student Research Forum
When: Held annually in April, this year’s date is April 2nd, 2015
Application Deadline: March 15, 2015
About: The Student Research Forum represents one of the finest student-run activities at UIC. Led by members of the Student Research Forum Steering Committee, the event allows student officers and members to be involved in all aspects of planning, from catering to judging to encouraging fellow students to participate. SRFSC members have the chance to interact with faculty and staff from across campus during the planning phases of the event and help make the event meet the needs of students. SRFSC members worked with the Honors College this year to plan a series of events designed to assist students in writing an abstract, preparing their poster and planning their presentation. It is one of the few student activities that is academic in nature and includes the entire student body; undergraduate, graduate and professional. The Forum provides a venue for students at UIC to present their scholarly efforts and is an event in which the campus celebrates the wealth of research across all disciplines carried out by the dedicated students of this campus.
Local Conferences of Interest Heading link
Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium
When: Held annually, this year’s date is April 11th, 2015
Application Deadline: March 15, 2015
About: The Chicago Area Undergraduate Research Symposium (CAURS) is one of the largest annual undergraduate research conferences in the country, bringing together hundreds of undergraduate students in the Chicagoland area from all academic disciplines to present their research. Through poster presentations, oral presentations, and roundtable discussions, attendees experience the impressive breadth and depth of research being conducted by their peers and have the opportunity to network with other undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and representatives from industry and graduate and professional schools.
Chicago International Conference on Education (Chicago ICE):
chicagoice.org
Mid-Western Educational Research Association
mwera.org
Illinois Computing Educators
iceberg.org
National Opportunities for Research Experiences Heading link
AERA Undergraduate Research Training Workshop
When: Held annually at the AERA conference, this year’s dates are April 16 – Saturday, April 18, 2015
Application Deadline: December prior to annual meeting
This workshop is designed to build the talent pool of undergraduate students who plan to pursue doctorate degrees in education research or in disciplines and fields that examine education issues. Applicants are sought who have potential and interest in pursuing careers as education researchers, faculty members, or other professionals who contribute to the research field. The workshop, led by junior and senior scholars, will give fellows an overview of how education research is designed across fields, how quantitative and qualitative research methods are used in studies, and how research is applied to education policy and practice. Senior researchers and faculty from both academic institutions and applied research organizations (i.e., The American Institutes for Research, Educational Testing Service, the College Board, and the Urban Institute) will introduce education research as a field and share their area of expertise and knowledge with the fellows. Workshop activities will also focus on exploring graduate education, applying to graduate school, and beginning a career in education research.
Fellows will be paired with a faculty member and a graduate student who will serve as program mentors. In addition to attending the workshop, fellows will attend pre-selected paper sessions and presentations during the AERA Annual Meeting.
APA Summer Science Fellowship
When: Held annually, this year’s dates are June 13 – July 25, 2015
Application Deadline: Annually in February
An expenses-paid, intensive summer training program, the SSF places up to 12 talented students in the psychology laboratories of some of the most outstanding researchers in the Washington, D.C., area. The lab experience will be six weeks in length. The SSF program gives students an opportunity to explore the intellectual, personal and social processes of scientific inquiry and to experience cutting-edge psychological research through hands-on laboratory activities. SSF offers promising students the opportunity to equip themselves with skills essential to succeed in graduate school, and gives students who plan to pursue advanced degrees in psychological science the opportunity to be mentored by nationally known faculty.