UROP


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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM (UROP)
The UROP Team is delighted to announce that the Victorian Life Sciences Computational Initiates (VLSCI) and the State Government have agreed to sponsor the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) to a value of AU$ 6000 per relevant project per student per annum. Only projects employing computational approaches are eligible to apply. Projects that are only for 6 months will receive pro rata funding of $3000. Initially sponsorship was for 5 projects but due to demand VLSCI and the State Government have generously agreed to sponsor all 7 projects that were received that met the required criterea. VLSCI has continued their generous support and is offering to sponsor 3 further projects in the same way for round 1 2010. Again, this is subject to the match being succeessful and the placement going ahead.

UROP Conference Day 2010

Thanks to all participants in making this year's conference a successful one. We thoroughly enjoyed the UROP conference and we hope everyone found the day enjoyable as well as useful.

With the generous support of CSL Ltd and the VLSCI, two prizes for best presentation were offered in Biomedicine/Biotechnology and Bioinformatics categories.

For those who werent able to attend the conference, the winners and runners up for best paper award in each category were:

CSL UROP Award for Best Presentation in Biomedicine/Biotechnology
Winner: Yen Huynh (Walter & Eliza Hall Medical Research Institute) for presentation entitled: Is G-CSF a therapeutic target for gout?

Runner-Up: Samuel Hawthorne (Prostate and Breast Cancer Research Program Monash University) for presentation entitled: Determining if parity (childbearing) decreases breast cancer risk by reducing the sensitivity of the mammary gland to estradiol

Victorian Life Sciences Computational Initiative (VLSCI) UROP Award for Best Presentation in Bioinformatics
Winner: Kimberley McLean (Monash University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences) for presentation entitled: PCs and GPCRs: Computer-aided design of muscarinic G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs)

Runner-Up: Charles Li (Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre) for presentation entitled:
Detection of morphological changes in schizophrenia using texture analysis of magnetic resonance imaging

Congratulations to all winners and runners-up.

We would be glad to receive any feedback to help us make next years UROP Conference even more exciting and successful.

Next round of UROP opens in September. Please see website nearer the time for details

Introduction
UROP is a scheme designed to give undergraduate students an early opportunity to experience real life in a research laboratory and gain insight into careers in biomedical research. Applications from students studying Maths and Stats and Computer Science are also encouraged to apply.

How does UROP work?
Students undertake a project which is part of the research program of a biomedical research laboratory. They are supervised by a research scientist in a mentoring role and work alongside other research staff and students in the team. The project can be experimental and based in a laboratory, bioinformatical or statistical.

While the scheme is not a formal part of undergraduate coursework, it is supported by universities because it aims to provide a vertical integration of practical research into the undergraduate years. Students will be able to practise the knowledge and skills obtained in undergraduate science-based courses in this program and vice versa.

What are the benefits of participating in UROP?

There are many benefits to participating in UROP. As a student, you will:

Be part of the excitement of being a researcher in an internationally competitive laboratory
Experience being part of a research team
Develop expertise in laboratory techniques and experimental design
Potentially contribute to scientific publications, patents and presentations
Create future job and post-graduate opportunities through networking
Benefit from workshops in scientific and career development

How much time does participation require?
In general, the students are expected to spend 8 hours per week on their project. The times are arranged between supervisors and students to fit in with both the students and supervisors commitments. During vacation periods, students would usually work in the laboratory full-time for a total of at least 6 weeks (4 weeks during the summer and 2 weeks during the winter recess). It is desirable that students commence their project during the vacation period, so they can integrate into the laboratory before semester recommences.

Who can apply?
The scheme is open to any undergraduate in any Victorian tertiary institution. Students can join the Program from the second year onwards of their undergraduate course (or third year onwards in the case of double degrees). Students currently in the first year of their course (or first two years in the case of double degrees) or in their final semester are not eligible to apply.

The scheme appeals particularly to Science, Biomedical Science and combined-Science degree students, including those studying bioinformatics, mathematics and statistics, the biomedical sciences, genetics and molecular biology. Students from non-scientific courses are welcome to apply but will need to demonstrate their particular interest in biomedical research.

When are applications open?
There are two rounds of UROP intakes per year to coincide with the winter and summer vacations.

Applications for the winter round are open in April and applications for the summer round are open in September.

Applications for Winter 2010 are now closed. Applications for the Summer 2010/11 round will open from September 2010. See website nearer the time for exact dates. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

All attachments must be in .doc format. Applications in other formats may not be considered

How can students apply?
Students submit a letter of application, a CV including the name of one academic referee, and a copy of their academic transcript using the online form on the website. Please note there is no notification of successul submission.

Applications use an on-line procedure. Please re-visit the website from September 2010 for applications for the Summer 2010 11 round. Click on the UROP Application tab that will be activated at that time.

**Please note, there are specific instructions associated with your application that may change from time to time. DO NOT complete the application form without reading the Instructions first. Updated instructions are now available. Incorrect or incomplete applications and documents sent to the UROP office as attachments to emails will not be accepted.**

To learn more, download Application Instructions (Word file 991 KB)

How are students selected?
The selection process occurs in 3 stages:
1. Students are selected for interview based on their entire application.
2. At an interview, particular subject areas of interest can be discussed. These are used to assist matching the student to a particular project.
3. After the interview, selected applicants are introduced to a suggested supervisor at an informal meeting, to discuss the scope of the proposed project. If successful, students receive a letter of offer containing an outline of the work to be performed. If the meeting with the proposed supervisor is not successful, we would endeavour to find an alternative placement for the student.

Are UROP students paid?
Students receive an hourly casual rate of pay for the time they work on their project, approximately equivalent to Higher Education Worker (HEW) 2 Casual. They are required to fill out time sheets to confirm their attendance. Payment is managed through each research institution's Human Resources unit.

What conditions apply to UROP projects?
Students receive full safety training upon induction into the research institution. In the time that they are present in the research institution, they are covered by all regulations and conditions governing the organisation, including occupational health and safety, good scientific practice, ethics, intellectual property and confidentiality.

What are the students’ responsibilities?
Students are required to:

Work in a manner that complies with codes of good scientific practice, animal and human ethics regulations and occupational health and safety procedures.
Sign the Intellectual Property and Confidentiality agreements of the research institution (if applicable).
Work in a cooperative manner with other members of the research team, sharing results and meeting regularly with their supervisor.
Keep to the hours of work agreed to between the student and supervisor and give reasonable notice if they need to suspend work on their project in order to concentrate on their studies. Note that the students performance in their undergraduate course must come first and academic performance will be monitored to ensure it is not detrimentally affected by participation in UROP
Provide the UROP office with an up to date contact email at all times and repond to annual calls for feedback when it is required

Who manages UROP?
The administration of UROP is by the Bio21 Cluster. The Cluster provides the recruitment service only and does not directly employ UROP students. Students placed in the scheme are employed by the organisation in which they are placed.

Which institutions offer places in UROP?
The Program runs at present in several research institutes and university departments including:

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research

St. Vincents Institute of Medical Research

Howard Florey Institute

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Monash Institute of Medical Research

Prince Henry's Institute

Departments of Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne

Department of Pathology in the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne

Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne

School of Population Health in in the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University

School of Dental Science in the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne

Department of Medicine - St Vincent's Hospital

The Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery

The Burnet Institute

Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute

The Bionic Ear Institute

Department of Otolaryngology - University of Melbourne

Faculty of Pharmacy and pharmaceutical science - Monash University

Murdoch Children's Research Institute

Orygen Youth Health

The Hugh Williamson Gait Analysis Laboratory - Royal Children's Hospital

Biogrid Australia

Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA)

NICTA

Bio21 Institute

CSIRO

CSL (also UROP Principal Sponsor)

Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) - Monash University

Patrys Ltd

and others

The Program is also expanding to include other major biomedical research institutions. The institutions that participate vary each round and the participation of any of the above institutes or departments is not guaranteed in any particular round.

UROP Projects - Students' perspective
There is a UROP facebook site at UROP-Bio21 Cluster http://www.facebook.com/pages/UROP-Bio21-Cluster/10154215936. There is some material posted on the facebook site that is not provided through any other media and it is recommended that all UROP students become fans of the site.

The attached document contains some examples of previous UROP projects in the students' own words.

To learn more, download the file (PDF file 35 KB)

More Information - Background
Refer to the document below

To learn more, download UROP background information (Word file 983 KB)

Information for Supervisors
Supervisors are invited to to submit applications to host students in their laboratories through the UROP scheme. Entry into the scheme by students is highly competitive. Bio21 Australia Ltd coordinates the selection of students and their matching to suitable projects.

Note that UROP is not a vacation scholarship scheme but is designed to allow students to become integrated in the research group - students would be expected to hold the position for a minimum of 6 months.

Students in the scheme are employed by the host laboratory as casual staff, at a rate approximately equivalent to universities' HEW 2 level. Prospective supervisors need to ensure they are able to support the position for the envisaged period of the project and be able to arrange suitable supervision of the student.

It is recommended that students work an average of 8 hours a week on their project during semester and full-time for part of the long vacations.

Below are a letter of invitation to join the UROP scheme and a form to be completed by prospective supervisors. Please contact the Program Manager for more information.

To learn more, download Invitation to Supervisors (Word file 990 KB)

Supervisor Application Form
Prospective supervisors are requested to complete the attached form, including a general description of their research or the project area the student would be engaged on.

Completed forms may be sent by e-mail to the Program Manager/Administrative Assistant : urop-bio21@unimelb.edu.au

To learn more, download Supervisor Application Form (Word file 993 KB)

Contact
The UROP Administrative Team, can be contacted for further information.
Email urop-bio21@unimelb.edu.au or telephone +61 3 8344 2199 (Program Manager) or 903 55132 (Administrative Assistant).

UROP is a scheme designed to give undergraduate students an early opportunity to experience real life in a research laboratory and gain insight into careers in biomedical research.