Could the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) help you?

Wednesday, 21 November 2012

The University's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) provides exciting opportunities for undergraduates to work with staff on University research projects.

The scheme enables staff to take on an undergraduate student to work on a six week research project over the summer. This can be a pilot project for a research grant application or support for a section of an existing piece of research.

Dr John Thompson, Placement and Development Officer, said: "UROP placements are very highly regarded by staff; they provide a great opportunity to develop new research ideas or fund a discrete section of an existing project. Students who undertake a UROP placement gain a unique insight into the research process whilst developing their skills. They also receive a bursary of £200 a week."

Examples of projects from 2012 include: digitally constructing a third century Roman camp for the Department of Classics, assessing how well students connect with the University's careers service for Student and Academic Services, and asking ‘How wild is Whiteknights?' to develop the biodiversity blog for the School of Biological Sciences.

UROP Showcase event

Any member of staff who is interested in finding out more about this year's 52 placements is welcome to attend the UROP Showcase Event in the Henley Business School on Wednesday 28 November at 4.30pm.

Each student has created a poster to present their work - these will be on display throughout the event, and awards for the best projects will be given out by the Vice-Chancellor and the Head of Communications from Research Councils UK, followed by a drinks reception. Please email events@reading.ac.uk if you would like to attend.

Staff drop-in session

There is also a drop-in session for staff who are interested in creating a placement opportunity on Wednesday 5 December, 12.30-2pm. You can book a slot via Employee Self Service or by emailing cstd@rdg.ac.uk.

The deadline for project proposals from staff is Friday 21 December 2012. For more information, including about project planning and funding, visit the UROP website.

UROP is managed by the Careers, Placements and Experience Centre; enquiries should be directed to urop@reading.ac.uk.