Michigan Research Community (MRC) is a residential affiliate of UROP. MRC offers incoming first-year students the benefits of the UROP non-residential program, including a research partnership with a faculty member in an area of their choosing, as well as a small, diverse and supportive community to call home. Approximately 150 students interested in a variety of disciplines and from a range of different cultural and national backgrounds make up the MRC. MRC students live together on the 3rd floor of Mosher Jordan Residence Hall, and have access to unique research, academic, and extra-curricular programs and resources.
The Michigan Research Community (MRC) Mission Statement
The Michigan Research Community (MRC), a residential affiliate of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), is a small, diverse, and supportive academic living learning community for first-year students interested in research. The MRC offers students a UROP research partnership and specialized in-house research, academic, and social support. The mission of the MRC is to recruit, support, and retain students from diverse backgrounds and academic fields; to expose them to the interdisciplinary nature of research and the breadth of its applications; to engage students in building a community based on mutual respect and affirmation of diversity; and to enhance students' undergraduate experience by providing them with academic and professional resources as well as engaging extracurricular opportunities to support their academic and personal growth.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MRC AND UROP
As a MRC student, you will have:
- Early access to UROP research projects
- In-house research peer advising
- In-house skill building workshops
- Facilitated study groups
- Additional faculty interaction through enrollment in UC104: An Introduction to the Research University and MRC Monthly Research Forums
- Bi-weekly research seminars held in or near the building
- Opportunity to present your research in the Annual MRC Spring Research Symposium
- A second- or third-year mentor in your discipline Access to a wide variety of community activities and leadership opportunities, including intramural sports, cultural outings, social and community service activities, and the community newsletter.