UGROW

UGROW

 
A Summer Research Program

Undergraduate Research Opportunities and Summer Workshop (UGROW) is MSU’s faculty-led, student-executed intensive summer research program. As in years past, UGROW will provide a venue in which faculty mentor full-time engagement from one or possibly two students, facilitating student exposure to research techniques, as well as opportunities for presentation and interaction.

The gist...

  • Faculty propose well-considered research objectives appropriate for rapid completion by undergraduate students.
  • Projects are announced and student applications are accepted
  • Students apply to the program, specifying up to three projects of preference
  • Applications are evaluated and a student cohort is selected
  • The cohort engages workshops during the first week of the program (week before Summer I)
  • Students then engage their projects
  • The cohort reunites for informal presentations and a final symposium

 

UGROW26 - over two decades of undergrad research

Projects

This year's projects will be announced soon

Proposal schedule

  • February 2: Call for faculty proposals
  • February 18: Proposals due
  • March 2: Projects determined and posted for student viewing

Application schedule

  • March 20: Scholar application deadline
  • April 10 : Selection of UGROW 25 Cohort

 UGROW25 Program schedule

  • May 26, 9:00 am- 10:30 am: UGROW Meet and Greet, Bolin Hall
  • May 26-29: UGROW Workshops (mornings at 9AM and 11 AM), Research (afternoons)
  • June 1: Research commences in full (as determined by mentors)
  • TBA, 3:00-5:00 PM: Posters on the Go Forum I, Bolin Hall
  • TBA, 3:00-5:00 PM: Posters on the Go Forum II, Bolin Hall
  • July 2: 21st Annual Symposium - Bolin Hall 127 at 9AM

Information for Academic Mentors (Professors and other campus research staff)

UGROW is an intense research program that starts a week before the summer I session and concludes with summer I. Although overseen by the McCoy College of Science, Mathematics, & Engineering, the program is open to research in any discipline. Mentors need to be available to conduct a workshop the first week and to guide their student researcher to completion.

Many UGROW projects are stand-alone efforts, but the program may be used for continuing or launching research for other undergraduate endeavors (e.g. EURECA). However, for this program, the project is generated by the faculty mentor with eye towards completion of a key goal within the month-long framework.

UGROW25

What happened last year? Link to the UGROW25 page

UGROW Directors

UGROW is overseen by Dr. Sarah Cobb (Department of Mathematics) and Dr. Jonathan Price (Kimbell School of Geosciences).

Midwestern State's Undergraduate Research office provide information and facilitates undergraduate research on campus. This includes managing UGROW's sibling program,  EURECA, semester-long, student- or faculty-initiated research.

UGR sponsored workshops: 

Successful Presentations Workshop Part 1

Successful Presentations Workshop Part 2 

The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a EURECA Proposal

 


Undergraduate Research Opportunities and Summer Workshop (UGROW)
Mission Statement

UGROW affords opportunities for collaborative research between undergraduates and faculty in an interdisciplinary research environment.

MSU Definition of Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research is an inquiry or investigation conducted by one or more undergraduate students, with faculty guidance, which attempts to make an intellectual, creative, or applied contribution to one or more disciplines. Adopted in April 2013.

History

UGROW was conceived by faculty in the College of Science and Mathematics in 2004 as an initiative to create an interdisciplinary environment to train and nurture young scientists.  The first UGROW was in 2005 and since then, it has expanded to all campus disciplines and offered research opportunities to over 200 undergraduates. During Summer Session I UGROW students experience the authenticity of researching projects of their choice in a highly interdisciplinary environment. At the end of the program, students present their findings at the UGROW Symposium, and the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum in the Fall term. 

UGROW promotes conditions in which students and faculty can cross disciplinary boundaries and advance knowledge, all while enriching their learning/research/scholarship endeavors.  UGROW is open to all disciplines at MSUTexas.

Objectives
  • To create high-quality research experiences for undergraduates in all Colleges at MSUTexas Wichita Falls
  • To provide an interdisciplinary, collaborative environment for undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activities
  • To create a pool of talented undergraduates interested in pursuing advanced careers.
  • To expand undergraduate research beyond MSUTexas
  • To enhance recruitment of talented students into MSUTexas' undergraduate and graduate programs
Faculty Finder: A Resource for Student-Faculty Mentor Matching

The UGR office has an in-house listing of faculty who have supported undergraduate research either within their coursework or by being a mentor in the EURECA or UGROW undergraduate research programs. If you are seeking a mentor for a research project, please use this list. Disclaimer: not all faculty listed may be available for mentorship; the list is updated frequently. Please contact the UGR office if you need help contacting or finding a mentor.