On Tuesday, May 28th, 2024, The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) launched our 2024 summer programs, impacting nearly 150 on-campus students (a subset pictured above). These programs are part of our mission to advance UMD's Fearlessly Forward strategic plan by strengthening and expanding research opportunities and advancing equitable and inclusive access for students of all backgrounds and levels of experience.
OUR Immersive Research Internship Experience (IRIE)
OUR's IRIE program provides an immersive faculty-mentored research internship experience that helps students develop broad research and professional capacities. IRIE is operated in collaboration with our well-established undergraduate research program, the First-Year Innovation & Research Experience (FIRE), and will impact approximately 120 on-campus students in the summer of 2024. In future years, we seek to expand this program to include research opportunities from research groups and faculty members across campus. Please watch for more information on this opportunity this coming fall!
OUR Student Proposed Innovation & Research Experience (SPIRE)
OUR's SPIRE program provides opportunities for UMD undergraduates to work closely with faculty mentors on summer research projects while actively engaging with the broader community of SPIRE researchers. This year, we are thrilled to support nearly 30 students working 1:1 with faculty from across campus. This program is generously co-supported by the Division of Research and Office of Undergraduate Studies. We thank these partners for their support and their impact on UMD students engaging in this exciting opportunity.
Summer Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC)
These programs will conclude with participation in our inaugural Summer Undergraduate Research Conference (SURC). This conference will enable undergraduates participating in all forms of summer research (OUR programs, other programs, NSF REUs, individual students working with faculty mentors, etc) to meet and share their research experiences and outcomes. Through this effort, we seek to continue to build a broader culture, presence, and community around undergraduate research and scholarly activities across our campus. More information about this event will be communicated soon!
The Office of Undergraduate Research will soon be reaching out to schedule conversations with academic units to understand better the challenges, barriers, and goals as they relate to higher levels of undergraduate involvement in UMD's broad research enterprise.