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 one 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 (during Summer I)
- The cohort reunites for informal presentations and a final symposium
This year's projects have been proposed by the faculty mentors. Follow this link to see project titles, keywords, mentors, and descriptions.
- February 15: Call for faculty proposals
- March 1: Proposals due
- March 8: Projects determined
- Scholar application deadline: March 27, 2024
- Selection of UGROW 24 Cohort: April 19, 2024
| Student_name | Project | Proj_advisor |
| Collin Franklin | A Quantum Computing Experience | Dr. Colmenares |
| Ethan Bailey | A Quantum Computing Experience | Dr. Colmenares |
| Fionn Bryan | Building Robust Sedimentary Data Sets in the Field | Dr. Rosscoe |
| Paige Cartwright | Better data ahead part III: evaluating success in whole-rock X-ray laboratory measurements | Dr. Price |
| Andrea Granados Millan | Exploring the Impact of Salt on Protein Aggregation Kinetics in Familial Alzheimer’s Disease Mutations | Dr. Liang |
| Taylor Clark | Political Participation and Disaster Resilience in US Counties, 2010-2020 | Dr. Lee |
| Jarette Khalil Xavier Greene | Flow classification using cave drip time series at Natural Bridge Caverns in Central Texas | Dr. Mahmud |
| Addison Ragland | Political Participation and Disaster Resilience in US Counties, 2010-2020 | Dr. Lee |
| Jabez Mackey | The effectiveness of a surfactant/alkaline on enhanced oil recovery (EOR) on a mature reservoir | Dr. Elsharafi |
| Iryna Hotsuliak | Synthesis and Electrochemistry Studies of Naphthyl Methylene Malonates | Drs. Hansen & Shao |
| Alexis Camarena | Testing of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and LabVIEW | Drs. Pokharel & Azzouz |
| Adolf Frederic | Testing of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and LabVIEW | Drs. Pokharel & Azzouz |
| Calvin Walmer | Study of flow rates variations using many different types of hydraulic components and the effect of pressure differentials and temperature changes of the fluid | Dr. Brink |
- May 28, 9:00 am- 10:00 am: UGROW Meet and Greet - Pierce Hall First Floor Lounge
- May 28-31: UGROW Workshops (9:00 am and 2:00 pm)
- June 3: Research commences
- June 20, 3:00-5:00 PM: Posters on the Go Forum I, Bolin Science Hall, main hallway
- June 27, 3:00-5:00 PM: Posters on the Go Forum II, Bolin Science Hall, main hallway
- July 3, 9:00 AM -12:00 PM: 19th Annual Symposium - Comanche North (135N, Clark Student Center)
UGROW is a competitive selection of applicants. Students should evaluate project descriptions and contact mentors for further details before applying. Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of application content, academic performance, and references.
If accepted into the program, students are required to be available for all sessions of the workshop week, all presentation events, and sufficient hours each week to engage research. The exact work schedule for each project is contingent on agreement between the student and their mentor. Successful students will be awarded a $1000 scholarship on completion of the summer program.
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.
Most 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.
What happened last year? Link to the UGROW23 page
UGR sponsored workshops:
Successful Presentations Workshop Part 1
Successful Presentations Workshop Part 2
The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a EURECA Proposal
Other IMPORTANT DEADLINES TO REMEMBER:
December 1: EURECA Proposal Deadline for Spring Only.
June 1: EURECA Proposal Deadline for Fall Only and Full Academic Year.
UGROW affords opportunities for collaborative research between undergraduates and faculty in an interdisciplinary research environment.
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.
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 students may also present their research at an off-campus professional meeting/conference if they choose to do so.
UGROW promotes conditions in which students and faculty, who would like to cross disciplinary boundaries, can advance knowledge and at the same time enrich their learning/research/scholarship endeavors. UGROW is open to all disciplines at MSUTexas.
- 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 in Biology, Mathematics, Engineering, GeoScience, Business, Education, Health Sciences & Human Services; Humanities & Social Sciences, and Fine Arts
- To expand undergraduate research beyond MSUTexas
- To enhance recruitment of talented students into MSUTexas' undergraduate and graduate programs
The UGR office has replaced Scholarbridge with our 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. Faculty Finder