Research Opportunities

The MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) provides undergraduates with a chance to collaborate with MIT faculty in research at the cutting edge of the chemical sciences. Participating in a UROP project is an excellent way to experience the excitement of discovery and to further develop your communication and teamwork skills. In addition, UROP provides an opportunity to develop closer relationships with faculty and research staff.

UPDATE: SUMMER 2020

This summer, students have the option to register for a summer session UROP and receive credit and a letter grade at no cost. Credit will be obtained by registering for 5.URG (research for letter grade) and by submitting a for-credit UROP application before the UROP deadlines. The number of units are to be determined in coordination with the research advisor and must not exceed 18 units.

At present, access to experimental laboratories is subject to Institute-wide emergency restrictions. It is therefore expected that most summer UROP projects will be conduct remotely, pending changes to the lab access policy. UROPs should consult with their research advisor to determine whether their project can proceed.

To receive credit, students enrolled in 5.URG for Summer 2020 will be required to submit a ten-page final written report to their research advisor prior to the last day of classes. A letter grade (i.e. A/B/C/D/F) will be assigned for the term. In the event that emergency academic regulations (EARs) are declared for the summer, it is possible that alternate grades (PE/NE) might be mandated.

The UROP advisor for the Chemistry Department is Prof. Alex Radosevich (Room 2-321, x3-4503). If you are interested in a chemistry UROP you should make an appointment with him to discuss your research interests and to receive advice on how to find a position in the department.

Please note that credit is obtained for undergraduate research by registering for 5.UR or 5.URG and by submitting a for-credit UROP application before the UROP deadlines. To receive credit, students enrolled in 5.UR (research for Pass/Fail grade) must file a progress report with the UROP coordinator. To receive credit, students enrolled in 5.URG (research for letter grade) are required to submit a ten-page final written report to their research advisor prior to the last day of classes. Please note that 5.URG may be taken for up to 12 units per term, not to exceed a cumulative total of 48 units.

For more detailed information about UROP, please visit the UROP Office website.

The Chemistry Undergraduate Research Symposium, held annually in the spring, features presentations and posters by participating students in the UROP program. The Outstanding UROP Presentation Award ($250), given in recognition of excellence in undergraduate research, will be awarded to one student during the Symposium.

Spring 2021 Date TBD

Independent research under the direction of a member of the Chemistry Department faculty. Allows students with a strong interest in independent research to fulfill part of the laboratory requirement for the Chemistry Department Program in the context of a research laboratory at MIT. The research must be conducted on the MIT campus and be a continuation of a previous 12-unit UROP project or full-time work over the summer. Instruction and practice in written and oral communication is provided, culminating in a poster presentation of the work at the annual departmental UROP symposium and a research publication-style write-up of the results. Permission of the faculty research supervisor and the Chemistry Education Office must be obtained in advance.

To enroll in 5.39 for the Spring 2021 term:

• Write a summary paragraph about your research, using the format in this example from Nature.
• Ask your UROP advisor to email Jennifer Weisman to confirm that they approve of your enrollment in 5.39. If your advisor has already emailed Professor Radosevich to approve enrollment in 5.39 there is no need to have them email Jennifer as well.
• As a reminder, the research must be conducted on the MIT campus and be a continuation of a previous fulltime UROP project from an academic or summer term in 2020. The research must under the direction of a member of the Chemistry Department faculty
• The approval from your advisor and summary paragraph should be submitted by 9:00am on Monday, February 1st.  You will be notified about permission to enroll in 5.39 no later than the end of the day on Friday, February 5th.

Chemistry majors are invited to prepare an Undergraduate Thesis describing the results of original research they have conducted under the supervision of a member of the MIT Department of Chemistry faculty. The undergraduate thesis is not a requirement for the S.B. degree in Chemistry, but students intending to pursue graduate work in chemistry are strongly encouraged to obtain experience doing original research as part of their preparation for graduate school.

Students preparing a thesis should enroll in course 5.THU in the semester they intend to submit their thesis (generally the spring of senior year). At least two semesters of research (summer UROP is considered to be the equivalent of a semester of research) in addition to the “5.THU semester” usually constitutes the minimum research experience that can provide the basis for a satisfactory thesis. Research toward a thesis carried out prior to 5.THU can be conducted for credit under 5.UR, 5.URG, or as “UROP for Pay.” Students enrolled in 5.THU may not simultaneously enroll in 5.UR or 5.URG in the same semester and may not receive financial support that semester through the UROP program, although they may be directly employed by faculty members as research assistants.

STYLE AND LENGTH

The student’s advisor will provide guidance concerning the specific style and organization appropriate for the thesis. In general, the style should be appropriate for a full journal article in the student’s particular area of chemistry. In most cases the thesis will include sections entitled “Introduction and Background,” “Results and Discussion,” and an Experimental Section. Literature citations should follow the format required by typical journals in the specific area of research.

The thesis should be double-spaced and typically will be 25 to 50 pages in length—under no circumstances should the length exceed 100 pages. The thesis should begin with a Title Page followed by a one-page Abstract, both conforming to the format described in the publication “Specifications for Thesis Preparation” prepared by the MIT Libraries Archives Department (14N-118). A Table of Contents should also be included in the thesis.

SUBMISSION OF THE THESIS

Students completing a thesis in Fall term must submit their thesis no later than Friday, January 17, 2020. Students completing a thesis in the Spring term must submit their thesis no later than Friday, May 8, 2020. One copy of the thesis should be submitted to your Research Supervisor, and two printed copies and a pdf file for the Department of Chemistry should be submitted to the Chemistry Education Office (6-205). If you would like to have a personal, bound copy of your thesis please submit a total of three printed copies to the Chemistry Education Office.

EVALUATION OF THE THESIS AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

The student’s Research Supervisor will read the thesis and determine the letter grade the student will receive for course 5.THU. In general, students should enroll in 5.THU for 6 to 21 units. An Undergraduate Research Symposium is held each spring and all students completing theses are encouraged to make an oral presentation at the symposium. Information about the Undergraduate Research Symposium will be posted on the Department of Chemistry website by Professor Alex Radosevich, the Symposium Coordinator.