University of Michigan Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Opportunities (NURO)

University Of Michigan At Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary For undergraduates, intensive summer research programs are a primary means of access to rigorous research training. While these opportunities can be transformative, extended research experiences enhance learning and student engagement, better preparing participants for postgraduate training. In this proposal, we seek to expand the summer research program to include a part-time research component during the academic year through the Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Opportunity program, conducted within the Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP) at the University of Michigan. Participants will be recruited from regional partner institutions to partake in a 10-week full-time summer program that will continue part-time throughout the academic year to extend their experience, strengthen mentoring relationships, and increase the significance of their research contributions. Our primary goal is to prepare undergraduates for long-term research careers in basic or clinical neuroscience research through 1) hands-on research experience, 2) professional development, and 3) communication training, all within a highly integrated year-long program. As collaborative, interdisciplinary research is a hallmark of the NGP, participants will undertake well-defined research projects that span our program’s overlapping subdisciplines, conducted alongside NGP faculty with strong mentoring track records. Engaging and interactive workshops will help build transferable professional skills in areas such as critical thinking, research rigor and reproducibility, navigating barriers to success, and topics that address a “hidden curriculum”. Scientific communication skills will be developed through our novel applied improvisation course and weekly mini-presentations, intended to build confidence and agility in public speaking for use in the lab and beyond. Additional pedagogical methods, such as journal clubs, career panels, and seminars from investigators with diverse social identities and research interests, will reinforce the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience and our culturally aware approach to neuroscience education. Participants will also be encouraged to join existing NGP programs and workshops which will further foster interactions between participants, program faculty, graduate students, and other undergraduate researchers. This novel extended experience will immerse participants in the ecology of a research environment with numerous scaffolds to support success, wellbeing, mentorship, and growth, placing each student on a solid upward trajectory toward long-term careers in basic and translational neuroscience research.