Illinois Office of
Undergraduate Research

blog posts

• Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP @ UI) - Undergrad Applications

  Oct 3, 2017 9:00 am8672 views

  Application to URAP @ UI, our undergraduate research apprenticeship program, is now open. Deadline for applications is Monday, October 30, 2017.

• Getting Started in Undergraduate Research Workshops - Fall 2017 Calendar

  Aug 25, 2017 9:00 am6963 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research announces its Fall 2017 calendar for the Getting Started in Research Workshop (GSIRW). These workshops provide an overview of the various forms of undergraduate research that take place on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, and guide students to develop a plan of action to locate relevant research opportunities on campus and discuss ways to contact faculty research mentors.

• Undergraduate Research Symposium 2019 - Now accepting student applications!

  Oct 22, 2018 8:00 am5498 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is now accepting submissions for the 2019 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS), set for Thursday, April 18. The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 14-20), and brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as corporate partners and sponsors, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world. Over the course of the day, students present their work in concurrent oral and poster presentations (including creative performances), the breadth and scope of which reflect not only the wide range of academic disciplines at the University of Illinois, but also speak to the caliber of our undergraduates. 

   

  All undergraduate students currently involved with research are eligible to present. For more information on the URS, including answers to frequently asked questions, please visit: http://undergradresearch.illinois.edu/symposium.html 

   

  Deadline for submitting an application to the URS is Friday, February 1, 2019, at 11:59 pm. 

• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Applications Now Open

  Feb 4, 2016 10:30 am5070 views

  Office of Undergraduate Research - Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Applications Now Open. 

• 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium Award Winners!

  May 18, 2020 9:00 am4103 views

  Congratulations to our 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

• Getting Started in Undergraduate Research Workshops - Spring 2018 Calendar

  Jan 15, 2018 9:00 am3410 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research announces its Spring 2018 calendar for the Getting Started in Research Workshop (GSIRW). These workshops provide an overview of the various forms of undergraduate research that take place on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, and guide students to develop a plan of action to locate relevant research opportunities on campus and discuss ways to contact faculty research mentors.

• 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium Award Winners!

  May 10, 2022 8:00 am3146 views

  Congratulations to our 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

• 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium Award Winners!

  May 8, 2023 9:00 am2713 views

  Congratulations to our 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

• 2017 Undergraduate Research Week Award Winners!

  May 19, 2017 11:45 pm2640 views

  Congratulations to our 2017 Undergraduate Research Week award winners! 

• 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium Award Winners!

  May 10, 2021 9:00 am2488 views

  Congratulations to our 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

• 2019 Undergraduate Research Week Award Winners!

  May 2, 2019 9:00 am2457 views

  Congratulations to our 2019 Undergraduate Research Week award winners! 

• 2018 Undergraduate Research Week Award Winners!

  May 7, 2018 11:45 pm2179 views

  Congratulations to our 2018 Undergraduate Research Week award winners! 

• 2016 Undergraduate Research Week Award Winners

  May 10, 2016 10:15 am2146 views

• Proposal Writing for Undergraduate Researchers Workshop - Spring 2018 Calendar

  Jan 23, 2018 9:00 am1570 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research announces its Spring 2018 calendar for the Proposal Writing for Undergraduate Researchers Workshop.

  During this workshop, we will discuss the fundamentals of proposal writing, guiding students to formulate successful research projects and explain their research in a concise and compelling manner that is understandable to a general audience. Students will leave the workshop with (1) basic knowledge about research proposals and their structure, (2) tactics and tools to write successful research statements, and (3) a list of resources for assistance in the writing process.

• Student Appointments / Drop-in Hours with The Office of Undergraduate Research

  Jan 14, 2019 8:00 am1544 views

• Fall 2017 Drop-In Hours for Office of Undergraduate Research

  Aug 28, 2017 9:00 am1476 views

• Fall 2016 Conference Travel Grant Competition

  Sep 19, 2016 7:00 am1474 views

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: NCSA SPIN Program Fall 2022

  Aug 23, 2022 4:00 pm1386 views

  The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) has a history of nurturing innovative concepts, and some of the best ideas have come from highly motivated, creative undergraduate students. The Students Pushing INnovation (SPIN) internship program was launched to provide University of Illinois undergraduates with the opportunity to participate in hands-on research and contribute to interdisciplinary projects covering focused research areas in Culture and Society, Earth and Environment, Bioinformatics and Health Sciences, Material and Manufacturing, Data and Computational Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, and Digital Agriculture. 

  The deadline for applications is September 4, 2022.

• Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP @ UI) - Undergrad Applications

  Sep 3, 2020 7:00 am1369 views

  The application for URAP @ UI, our undergraduate research apprenticeship program, is now open. Deadline for applications is October 9, 2020 at 11:59 pm.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Gene Editing and Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders

  Apr 6, 2021 12:00 am1326 views

  The Gaj Lab (https://gaj-lab.bioengineering.illinois.edu/) is looking for an undergraduate research assistant who will work on assessing the effects of gene editing technologies on spatial memory and reference learning in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease. We are seeking a highly motivated undergraduate student to assist a PhD student and to be involved in harnessing the potential of one of gene technology’s sharpest tools: CRISPR systems. The only qualities the candidate requires are interest in our research and the motivation to learn multiple lab techniques. This research opportunity is open to any major and level of expertise.

  This is an ongoing opportunity, including Spring and Summer 2021. For more information, please read full post.

• 2015 Undergraduate Research Week Award Winners

  Jun 1, 2015 10:15 am1315 views

• Undergraduate Research Opportunity at the Mayo Clinic!

  Oct 15, 2015 9:45 am1250 views

• COVID-19 Guidelines for Undergraduate Researchers and Mentors

  Aug 25, 2021 3:00 pm1165 views

• New Undergraduate Research Opportunity for Fall 2015

  Sep 17, 2015 5:45 pm1060 views

• OUR is Hiring Undergraduate Research Ambassadors!

  Jan 19, 2023 10:30 am863 views

  OUR is seeking highly motivated and personable undergraduate students who are eager to guide and support their peers through the Illinois undergraduate research experience. If you have previous experience in research, whether through coursework, assisting faculty, research staff, or graduate students, or conducting a project of your own, we invite you to apply to become an Illinois Undergraduate Research Ambassador. In this role, you will have the opportunity to help other students navigate their own research journeys.

  Deadline to apply is Monday, February 6, 2023 at 11:59pm.

• Spring 2017 Conference Travel Grant Competition

  Jan 30, 2017 10:00 am851 views

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Synthetic Biology and Photosynthesis Engineering

  Aug 25, 2021 3:30 pm838 views

  Undergraduate Research -- Synthetic Biology and Photosynthesis Engineering - Algae and Crops

  Would you like to practice your molecular biology skills while discovering new ways to engineer photosynthesis? The Leonelli Lab is looking for creative and committed undergraduate students to join our team of researchers.

  For more information, including how to apply, please see full description.

• New Undergraduate Research Opportunities

  May 11, 2015 10:15 am834 views

• New Undergrad Research Opportunity Fall 2015

  Jun 1, 2015 10:15 am813 views

• Getting Started in Undergraduate Research Workshops - Fall 2018 Calendar

  Aug 23, 2018 9:00 am801 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research announces its Fall 2018 calendar for the Getting Started in Research Workshop (GSIRW). These workshops provide an overview of the various forms of undergraduate research that take place on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, and guide students to develop a plan of action to locate relevant research opportunities on campus and discuss ways to contact faculty research mentors.

• Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP @ UI) - Undergrad Applications

  Aug 28, 2023 7:00 am792 views

  The application for URAP @ UI, our Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program, is now open. Deadline for applications is October 6, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES: Health and Social Media Group

  Sep 11, 2017 1:15 pm790 views

  There are currently two research opportunities available from the Social Action Lab. This research group uses a cross-disciplinary, cutting-edge approach to understand the mechanisms that explain thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. Further details can be found here.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Establishing Foundations of Meta-Learning

  Oct 1, 2021 8:00 am754 views

  Establishing Foundations of Meta-Learning

  An essential capability of human intelligence is being able to learn “how to learn” (meta-learn) and thus being effective at transferring to novel tasks (with few data examples) by leveraging prior experience. Meta-learning is a new rich field to solve this domain, however, in light of recent evidence it is unclear when and where meta-learning methods should work. The task for this project will be to explore this and eventually use this knowledge to improve the progress in the field of meta-learning

  For more information on this opportunity, including how to apply, please see full description.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: LLVM RESEARCH GROUP

  Feb 21, 2022 4:15 pm728 views

  We are looking for skilled and motivated undergraduate students to work on several projects in the LLVM Research Group. We are a group in the Illinois CS Department led by Prof. Vikram Adve, and we focus on building compilers for heterogeneous parallel systems and novel hardware. We are currently looking for multiple students to work on a variety of projects. All these projects are open projects, and we are looking for students who are interested in working with us long term. As such, we require a commitment of 15 hours per week for Fall and Spring terms, and 40 hours per week for Summer. The pay will be based on seniority level with an average of $17.00/hour.

  For full description, including how to apply, please see full posting.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: The Social Action Lab is seeking undergraduate research assistants

  Jan 21, 2018 9:00 am724 views

  Interested in getting valuable research experience? Interested in learning about attitudes, persuasion, behavior, motivation, and more? Want to analyze social media? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, the Social Action Lab may be right for you!

• Undergraduate Research Workshops - Fall 2021 Calendar

  Aug 9, 2021 8:00 am722 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research announces its Fall 2021 calendar for the Value of Undergraduate Research Workshop, Getting Started in Research Workshop, Proposal Writing for Undergraduate Researchers Workshop, and our newly developed Research to Resume Workshop.

  We will have both in-person and online workshops available for each offering. Information for each workshop including how students can register can be found in this post.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Undergraduate Research Opportunity Analyzing Shedd Aquarium Water Samples

  Nov 5, 2020 9:00 am710 views

  The NRES Fish ecophysiology lab (http://fishlab.nres.illinois.edu) is partnering with researchers at the Shedd Aquarium to better understand if water samples can provide information on the health of fish. Water samples from the aquarium have been collected for further analysis. We are seeking a motivated ACES undergraduate to assist a master’s student and to be involved in this exciting research project. This opportunity can be conducted online or in-person in the Spring (in-person preferred). Ideal candidate will have an interest in pursuing graduate school. Experience in R and lab work is a plus, but not required

  For more information and to apply, see full post.

• Virtual 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium

  Apr 13, 2020 8:00 am697 views

  The 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium will take place April 27 through May 1 and will be hosted through Compass2g. Our annual symposium celebrates undergraduate excellence and innovation in research at the University of Illinois and provides a great opportunity for the campus community to learn from our student scholars. 

  While we have been quite challenged by the scale of moving such a large event into a virtual medium, we are also inspired by the dedication of the Illinois community in supporting our students at such a historical moment.  We hope this online space, at the very least, honors the essence and integrity of our in-person event.

  When: Student video presentations will be on display April 27 through May 1. We will be hosting a 1-hour Zoom presentation to kick off the 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium from 12pm - 1pm on Monday, April 27. Link will be posted below once it is available.

  Where: The 2020 URS will be hosted through Compass2g. To access the symposium, please follow the instructions at: https://go.illinois.edu/Accessing2020URS to enroll in the symposium "course". This will allow you to see the student presentations and provide feedback to presenters.

  Thank you for your continued support of our office and its symposium.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Info Session for 2021 Community-Academic Scholars, 11/11/2020

  Nov 6, 2020 5:00 pm666 views

  The Community-Academic Scholars Initiative is a 10-week summer program that empowers undergrads to pursue community-based research in Champaign County. Scholars will learn about and rank their preferred projects during the application process. Join us Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6 - 6:45 p.m. to learn more about the program and application process, hear examples of past projects, and find out how scholars are matched with projects. The info session will be recorded, so please be sure to register even if you can't make it. We will notify you when the recording is available. Learn more about the program and register: http://go.illinois.edu/communityscholars

  For more information, see full post.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: MechSE

  Apr 16, 2021 2:45 pm663 views

  We are the Saif Lab in MEL 2210. Our project investigates the role of tumor stiffness and cell forces on metastatic progression in colorectal cancer. We perform traction force microscopy (TFM), RNAseq, PCR and other experiments to study the cross-talk between cancer and stromal cells. The student will perform cell culture, make polyacrylamide gels for TFM, prepare samples for RNAseq or PCR etc. We have recently developed a new sensor for measuring cell forces in 3D matrices. The student is likely to assist in that project as well. Students who are familiar with cell culture are preferred.

  For more information, including how to apply, please see full description.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Undergraduate Research Assistant in Railroad Safety and Data Analysis

  Oct 28, 2020 9:00 am662 views

  The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) Rail Safety and Risk Group is looking for 1-2 hourly and paid undergraduate research assistants who excels in programming (Python, R, Matlab, VBA, SQL), ArcGIS, and statistics to assist in various railroad safety, risk, and data analyses projects. This is a position that will continue as long as the student is studying at the university as the RailTEC has been continuously taking on projects and thus will always need help from talented students.

  For more information and to apply, see full post.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Plant Genomics/Physiology

  Aug 25, 2021 3:15 pm657 views

  Part-Time Undergraduate Research Assistant Position in Plant Genomics/Physiology

  The Brooks Lab is looking for an undergraduate research assistant who is interested in gaining experience in plant physiology and genomics. Work in the lab is aimed at understanding how photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism are coordinated and how these processes will respond to climate change.

  For more information, including how to apply, please see full description.

• 2019 Data Visualization Competition

  Aug 26, 2019 8:00 am653 views

  The Data Visualization Competition is a chance for you to show off your skills in communicating information visually. Undergraduate researchers, show off your data and presentation skills and win up to $400!

  All submissions must be received by October 6, 2019.

  For more information see the poster below and also visit: go.illinois.edu/viz-competition

  The Data Visualization Competition is sponsored by the Scholarly Commons, CITL, Illinois Informatics Institute, and Research IT.

• Research Funding and Opportunities for STEM Undergraduates

  Feb 24, 2020 5:00 pm642 views

  Three opportunities for STEM undergraduates.

• Undergraduate Research Workshops - Fall 2019 Calendar

  Aug 19, 2019 8:00 am633 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research announces its Fall 2019 calendar for the Getting Started in Research, Value of Undergraduate Research, and Proposal Writing for Undergraduate Researchers workshops. Information for each workshop including how students can register can be found in this post.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Summer Research Internship Opportunity at Columbia Business School

  Nov 29, 2018 11:00 am614 views

  Columbia Business School is seeking outstanding applications for the 2019 Summer Research Internship program.  The highly selective program provides an intellectually stimulating environment and introduces the interns to the world of business research.  Under the guidance of Columbia Business School’s leading faculty, interns will take an active role on a research project in one of the following areas: accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management, decision sciences, operations, and data analytics.  This is a multi-disciplinary program and candidates from all majors are encouraged to apply. For more information about this program and to apply, please see full post.

• Undergraduate Research Symposium 2020 - Now accepting student applications!

  Nov 25, 2019 8:00 am599 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is now accepting submissions for the 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS), set for Thursday, April 30. The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 26-May 2), and brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as corporate partners and sponsors, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world. Over the course of the day, students present their work in concurrent oral and poster presentations (including creative performances), the breadth and scope of which reflect not only the wide range of academic disciplines at the University of Illinois, but also speak to the caliber of our undergraduates. 

   

  All undergraduate students currently involved with research are eligible to present. For more information on the URS, including answers to frequently asked questions, please visit: http://undergradresearch.illinois.edu/symposium.html 

   

  Deadline for submitting an application to the URS is Sunday March 1, 2020, at 11:59 pm. 

• Now accepting submissions for Undergraduate Research Symposium 2018

  Oct 2, 2017 10:00 am597 views

  The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is now accepting submissions for the 2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS), set for Thursday, April 19. The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 15-21), and brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as corporate partners and sponsors, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world.

  For more information on Undergraduate Research Week, the URS, and OUR programs, please visit our website at: http://undergradresearch.illinois.edu/researchweek.html

  Deadline for submitting an application to the URS is Friday, February 16, 2018, at 11:59 pm. The application can be found at http://go.illinois.edu/urs

  Questions may be addressed to ugresearch@illinois.edu; please put “URS Application” in the subject line.

• The Value of Undergraduate Research Workshop

  Jan 12, 2018 9:00 am585 views

  During this workshop, we will discuss the importance of conducting research as an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois. This will include a discussion of how engaging in research can impact your career development, and how to communicate this value effectively. Students will leave the workshop with (1) a better understanding of how undergraduate research can benefit you both now and following graduation, and (2) an idea of how to effectively communicate the value of research experiences to future employers. This workshop is a collaboration between the Office of Undergraduate Research and The Career Center.

• RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY: Study on Gender, Culture, and Fieldwork in India

  Sep 1, 2021 4:15 pm582 views

  Dr. Goodnight is looking for an undergraduate research assistant to help complete a qualitative study exploring the role of gender in conducting fieldwork in India. Specifically, this research examines Indian women’s experiences in collecting data on the quality of primary education in rural villages.

  For more information, including how to apply, please see full description.