Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
For more information about this program, please select a section from the choices below:
- Program Purpose
- Who Should Apply
- SROP Contact Information
- Special Research Opportunities
- Program Benefits
- How to Apply
- Dates and Deadlines
Program Purpose
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers a summer research program that provides undergraduate students from populations underrepresented in graduate study at Illinois with an opportunity to explore careers in research. The program at Illinois provides each student with an experience that will help strengthen his or her knowledge, skills, and understanding of graduate school. The many activities offered through the Summer Research Opportunities Program will afford participants an opportunity to establish important relationships with faculty in their respective fields of study, conduct graduate-level research under the supervision of a University of Illinois renowned faculty member, become acquainted with the culture of graduate school, and to learn what is needed and expected of them as graduate students in their discipline at the University of Illinois.
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Who Should Apply
The University of Illinois receives applications from students enrolled in institutions from across the United States and Puerto Rico. Participation in the Summer Research Opportunities Program at the Urbana campus is extended to, but not limited to, students who are from racial and ethnic populations underrepresented in graduate programs at Illinois and/or students interested in conducting research on topics that specifically affect U.S. minority populations. Applicants should be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Any undergraduate student who has earned 45 credit hours or more and seniors who will not graduate before December 2010 are eligible to apply. A successful applicant will have at least a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above (on a 4.0 scale). Fall 2009 semester grades must be recorded and submitted in an official transcript before eligibility is determined.
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SROP Contact Information
Once a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign online application has been submitted, students may forward the supporting documents to the following address:
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate College
204 Coble Hall (MC-322)
801 S. Wright Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-4860
GradEEPrograms@illinois.edu
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Special Academic Opportunities
GRE Institute
The Illinois SROP offers a GRE Institute for participants who will be expected to take the Graduate Records Exam as part of the Fall 2010 or Spring 2011 graduate admission requirement. This year the GRE Institute will take place May 24, 2010 through June 3, 2010. Selected participants will attend the GRE Institute to receive training in all areas of the GRE. Additionally, GRE participants will have the opportunity to take a pre- and post-test in order to assess areas of strength and areas that students can improve on.
ISNI - Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute
Neuroscience represents one of the most interdisciplinary research fields in the sciences. The Illinois Neuroscience Program, in an effort to increase access to and pursuit of post-baccalaureate neuroscience research and degrees for underrepresented students, is offering a discipline-focused summer program. The Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute (ISNI) is a week-long, intensive program designed to introduce discipline-interested students to the facets of neuroscience and neuroscience research, the research projects of NSP faculty and graduate students, and the culture of the Illinois neuroscience community. The goal of this program is to foster relationships and facilitate preparation of undergraduate students for graduate study and careers in the neurosciences. Following ISNI, SROP-eligible students will continue their summer experience in a neuroscience laboratory. The Neuroscience Program (NSP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign consists of over 50 faculty conducting research across 12 research themes.
To learn more about the Illinois Summer Neuroscience Institute and research in the neurosciences at UIUC, please contact:
Dr. Sam Beshers
Neuroscience Program Coordinator
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
318b Morrill Hall, MC-118
505 S. Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
beshers@illinois.edu
neuroscience.illinois.edu/
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The Benefits of Participating in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
In addition to the many experiences that support students' pursuit of graduate study, students receive valuable graduate school information and a variety of other benefits:
Academic Benefits
Participants in the SROP at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are assigned a research advisor (Faculty Mentor) who will guide their summer research. The Faculty Mentor is from a discipline or is involved in research that matches that of the respective participant. Each participant has an opportunity to earn three credit hours of independent study during the summer. The number of credit hours is based upon the amount of time the participant spends completing a research project, as recommended by the faculty mentor who oversees the participant's summer research.
All SROP participants will also participate in a Research Writing Course. This course is designed to teach students how to write and publish scientific papers. SROP participants will attend this course once per week throughout the summer. Upon completion, participants will have a thorough understanding on scientific writing.
The University of Illinois is a member of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), which is the academic consortium of the Big Ten Universities and the University of Chicago. Students from the SROP are expected to take part in the annual CIC/SROP conference. Each summer, students who participate in the SROP at one of the 15 CIC institutions will convene on a member campus for an annual CIC/SROP academic conference. There, students will meet SROP participants from other campuses who are involved in research. Approximately 500 students participate in the conference. Participants are able to present their research in either an informal (roundtable discussions) or formal (research presentations) setting. The conference affords participants an opportunity to meet and interact with faculty and graduate school administrators from the other CIC institutions. At this annual conference, students are able to exchange ideas and information about research, graduate study, and their SROP experiences.
The 2010 CIC / SROP Conference will take place on the Ohio State University campus from July 23 – 25, 2010.
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Collegial Experiences
There are many organized activities that are designed to enable participants to develop relationships that are useful to an emerging scholar. Aside from the many opportunities to interact socially with the other participants in the SROP and to establish meaningful relationships with faculty and administrators on campus, students are given an opportunity to exchange ideas and broaden their knowledge and perception of their discipline through research team participation. Each participant is assigned to a research team that consists of other SROP participants from similar majors. The research teams consist of approximately 10 students and meet regularly under the leadership of a Research Team Leader who is currently pursuing an advanced degree in a related field of study. In addition to expanding the participant's knowledge and scope, the research team serves as a mechanism to help refine the research project and to develop collegial relationships with other students in their prospective field of study.
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Monetary Awards
Each student who is selected to participate will receive a monetary award of $3500 and will be provided with room and board. Travel expenses for students who reside outside of the state of Illinois will be covered. All participants will receive health coverage through the student health insurance program upon completion of summer registration and throughout the summer session. The total monetary award of participating in the SROP program at the University of Illinois ranges between $6,000-$7,000 per awardee.
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How to Apply
If you are interested in the University of Illinois Summer Research Opportunities Program, please do the following:
- Complete and submit an on-line Summer Research Opportunities Program Application by 5:00 pm on Friday, February 19, 2010.
- Submit all completed coursework to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in an official transcript that includes graded coursework from the 2009 Fall semester. Submit transcripts via U.S. mail (students from UIC or UIS may mail documents from their campuses using campus mail) to the Summer Research Opportunities Program at the following address:
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate College
204 Coble Hall (MC-322)
801 S. Wright Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-4860
- Submit two letters of reference from faculty members, academic advisors, or other persons familiar with your academic work. Please send letters of recommendation via U.S. mail or campus mail. Letters must be written on official departmental letterhead.
- Complete a Statement of Purpose and Proposed Research Project Statement
- E-mail questions to GradEEPrograms@illinois.edu
- Include your name, undergraduate institution, and undergraduate major with each e-mail correspondence. Please send all e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word format.
Statement of Purpose and Proposed Research Project Statement
For your application to be considered for the Summer Research Opportunities Program at Illinois, you must submit a Statement of Purpose and a Proposed Research Project Statement. The statements should address the following:
- Statement of Purpose (300 word limit)
- Describe how your personal, cultural, and academic development has influenced your educational and career plans for the future
- Explain how SROP can assist you in shaping and achieving your academic goals
- Proposed Research Project (400 word limit)
- Provide a summary of your proposed summer research project. Include the following:
- Name of proposed research project/study
- How you became interested in this particular research topic
- Importance of the study
- Coursework that you have completed that is related to this topic
- Provide a summary of your proposed summer research project. Include the following:
- If you are a student at the Urbana campus, you must have your Proposed Research Project Statement approved by your prospective Mentor/Research Advisor. Include the prospective Mentor/Research Advisor's department name, campus mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number with your statements.
- Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate College
204 Coble Hall (MC-322)
801 S. Wright Street
Champaign, IL 61820
- Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
Dates and Deadlines
GRE Institute
The dates for the GRE Institute are Monday, May 24, through Thursday, June 3. Participants to the GRE Institute are restricted to 2010 SROP participants that are rising seniors and expect to graduate by May 2011. Interested students should indicate on their online SROP application their plan to participate in the GRE Institute.
SROP
The SROP runs concurrently with the Illinois summer term. The program dates for 2010 are Friday, June 4, through Friday, August 6, 2010. For full consideration for participation in the 2010 SROP, applications and all supporting documents must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm on Friday, February 19, 2010.
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate College
204 Coble Hall (MC-322)
801 S. Wright Street
Champaign, IL 61820
E-mail: GradEEPrograms@.illinois.edu