Each summer, Rackham hosts the Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) which offers outstanding undergraduates who are underrepresented in their fields of study the opportunity to conduct intensive research in their area of academic interest. The goal of SROP is to prepare students for advanced studies in graduate degree programs and to give them the resources they need to develop a thorough understanding of the research process.
SROP offers participants first-hand exposure to the graduate school experience through faculty-mentored research, a weekly seminar series, and many other activities that help students develop the skills they need to be successful graduate students. Participants in SROP work with faculty on an individual basis or as part of a research team which may also include graduate students, research scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and other SROP students.
At the conclusion of the eight-week program, SROP students gather for a regional conference at one of the universities from the consortium of institutions in the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). This conference draws approximately 500 SROP students annually and gives them the opportunity to participate in a professional academic conference. Students take part in poster presentations, roundtable discussions, and networking events throughout the three-day conference.
This year, Rackham staff will travel to Ohio State University with our SROP participants to take part in the CIC SROP conference. The U-M SROP contingent is one of the largest and most diverse in composition as well as in the range of disciplines represented. For example, within our SROP there are focused clusters of those working in the Humanities and in Engineering.
SROP participants represent Rackham’s commitment to providing research opportunities to undergraduates from a wide range of disciplines and from diverse fields of study in order to prepare them for graduate education.
Published in: Graduate School News