Aussois presentation

1
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY UROP (Undergraduate
Research Opportunities Programme)
Dr Hugh Shercliff Director of Undergraduate
Education CU Department of EngineeringTrumpingto
n St, Cambridge hrs_at_eng.cam.ac.uk Higher
Education Academy Bringing Research and Teaching
Together Friday 24 November 2006
2
UROP in Cambridge

• What is UROP?
• undergraduate summer placement in research group
  (usually 10 weeks)
• students can work in their own or a different
  discipline

• Pilot project for four years, supported by
  Cambridge-MIT Institute
• participating Departments Engineering, Plant
  Science, Genetics, Computer Science
• currently limited to internal students
• over 50 students in summer 2006
• target of 100 students next year, including
  Physics (with continuing support of the Isaac
  Newton Trust)

3
UROP some key benefits

• For the undergraduates
• exposure to high-quality research enter the
  slipstream of internationally-recognised
  academics
• set studies in stimulating, exciting context
  innovation, entrepreneurship

• become full participants in, and contributors
  to, the University reduce demarcations
  between staff, RAs, students, technical staff
• paid work relevant to studies (instead of low
  casual work)

4
UROP some key benefits

• For the academic, the wider research community,
  and industry
• improved supply to post-graduate research
  degrees and careers
• direct contribution to research output
  proof-of-concept, publications, input to
  funding bids, boost to post-graduate student/RA
  productivity

• excellent value for money (2k consumables for
  10 weeks)
• low administrative overhead, and flexibility to
  combine funds from multiple sources

5
A personal case history
Research in Friction Stir Welding
The UROP students history

• First Class Bachelors degree
• hadnt considered research

6
UROP the way forward
Scale-up, and long-term sustainability

• Local challenges - greater number of
  participating staff (no shortage of student
  demand) - increased industrial support -
  widen to new subjects, including Humanities

• National challenges - significant funding
  from Research Councils and other agencies -
  streamlined, flexible operation (EPSRC - DTA
  route not ideal?) - long-term commitment to
  support UROP

• Alternative models - e.g. Science
  Foundation Ireland
  significantly greater funding
  individual projects and summer school activities