Undergraduate Research Program (UGR)

Program Overview

This Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program is aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of underrepresented students successfully completing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) baccalaureate degree programs, and increasing the number of underrepresented students interested in, academically qualified for and matriculated into programs of graduate study. The Texas A&M University System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TAMUS LSAMP) undergraduate research program (UGR) program was established to promote this exceptional opportunity for promising and dedicated undergraduate students in an effort to enhance their academic experiences and professional skills. The immediate intent of this program is to link underrepresented undergraduate students with active and supportive faculty-researchers who will mentor them and provide them with opportunities to engage in research-related activities, as early as possible in the students' academic careers. The long-term intent of the program is to encourage and prepare underrepresented students to continue their academic and research careers in STEM graduate programs.
Click here to see the UGR Fall 2012 Agenda for Fall 2011.
Click here to see the UGR Flyer for Fall 2011.

Program Requirements

In order to apply to participate in the Undergraduate Research Program students must complete the TAMUS LSAMP Undergraduate Research Program Application online. This will be required for selection of UGR students for funding and for recognizing students’ official status as TAMUS LSAMP UGR program participants for program funding and for referrals to other opportunities.
(Fall Semester Deadline: January 18, 2012)

In order to ensure that students' participation is educationally meaningful, students are required to:

• MUST submit an application for a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates(REU).
• Maintain a minimum semester and cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher
• Must have atleast a year remaining before finishing the degree.
• Perform a MINIMUM of 10 hours of research/lab work each week to the satisfaction of the research faculty mentor.
• Submit weekly web-based progress reports to the LSAMP program office
• Attend periodic academic, personal and professional development workshops
• Interact regularly and frequently with their faculty research mentors
• Demonstrate good-faith participation in the mentor-mentee relationship and the research experience to the satisfaction of their faculty research mentors
• Submit and present a two-part final report (abstract and formal research proposal)
• Produce evidence of their contribution to a presentable poster, Power-Point presentation, paper, report or a broadcast-ready demonstration and narration related to their research involvement, upon completing two or more semesters of supported participation
• Attend the annual alliance-wide TAMUS LSAMP Mini-Symposium and TAMUS Pathways Research Symposium to present their work as a TAMUS LSAMP UGR program participant

In order to assist students to progress to graduate school, they are strongly encouraged to:

• Take advantage of activities which will be identified by the LSAMP program and their mentors, to help them prepare to take the GRE, select graduate programs, and complete graduate school applications
• Individually or collaboratively present at least once at another regional, or a national research conference, in addition to the required presentation at the annual TAMUS Pathways Research Symposium
• Become a TAMUS LSAMP peer mentor and network with graduate and faculty mentors

Program Eligibility

• U.S citizen or permanent resident
• Currently enrolled in a minimum of 12 semester credit hours in a science, math, computer science or engineering major or an elementary education certification program with a math or science concentration
• Be in good academic standing
• Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher the semester prior to applying for the UGR program
• Possess an interest in research
• Career goal of obtaining a master's or doctoral degree in science, math, computer science or engineering and/or teaching in K-12 schools
• Completed TAMUS LSAMP Undergraduate Research Program Application
• Have a positive letter of recommendation from a science, math or engineering faculty member

Program Benefits

• A semester stipend ($1000 for Freshmen, $1000 for Sophomores, $1200 for Juniors and $1500 for Seniors)
• Automatic continuation in the program (from semester to semester, for one academic year) for LSAMP UGR students in good standing. Students will not have to reapply to the program each academic year.
• Develop a one-on-one mentoring relationship with faculty.
• Help to clarify academic and career interests and goals.
• Acquire knowledge in your academic field that transcends classroom study.
• Enhance critical skills in communication, independent thinking, creativity and problem solving.
• Enhance professional and academic credentials to support applications for scholarships, awards, career employment and entry into graduate and professional schools.
• Engage in the creation of new knowledge on the cutting edge of an academic discipline and apply that knowledge to real-world problems.

UGR Testimonials

Alvaro Rodriquez's Videoblog

Click here to see all the Videos

UGR Accomplishments

	November 5 2010: The Texas A&M Engineering honored six students with its Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Engineer Award during a banquet Oct. 28. Pictured left to right are Michael Hackemack, Kathryn West, Joel Turtle, Craig C. Brown, Sarah Woods, Yehia Mohamed Omar and Anand Ganapathy (LSAMP UGR participant). The seniors received the annual award due to their academic achievement, character and leadership abilities. Read more...
	Alvaro E. Rodriguez, an undergraduate Molecular and Cell Biology major, is already making the most of the research opportunities available in the Department of Biology. Alvaro has worked for most of his undergraduate career in Dr. Michael Benedik’s lab, genetically optimizing a cyanide degrading enzyme of Pseudomonas stutzeri to tolerate high alkalinity pHs. Because of his research experience Alvaro has had the opportunity to perform research for eight months at the University of Strasbourg in France, as well as present his research in Washington D.C. as a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation scholar. He credits his research opportunities with providing a “profound hands-on experience” that has significantly helped him in several of his courses. Read more...
	Two students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have received the prestigious Gulf Coast Power Association Scholarship. Richard H. Douglin and Tania Oritseweyinmi Okotie received their awards during a ceremony earlier this month. Both students are in a research group headed by Dr. Karen Butler-Purry, professor and associate vice president for graduate studies. Douglin is from Trinidad and Tobago. He completed his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering at Prairie View A&M University in December 2007. Currently he is pursuing his Master of Science at Texas A&M. Okotie is originally from Nigeria and came to United States as a young child. Currently Okotie is an undergraduate student specializing in power and energy. She also is part of an undergraduate research program, which gave her the opportunity to conduct research under Butler-Purry in the Power Systems Automation Lab. Read more...
Jesus Suarez (Former UGR Student, Incoming BTD Student), May 2011 Graduate. His research "A Survey of Animal Foraging for Directed, Persistent Search by Rescue Robotics" has been accepted to the 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR), which will be held November 1-5 in Kyoto, Japan. Congrats Jesus!
Leticia Ibarra was fortunate enough to visit Doha, Qatar during spring break 2012 as part of the Spring Leadership Exchange Program. She was 1 of 14 Texas A&M students that was selected to participate in the program which enhanced international leadership abilities and strengthened personal leadership characteristics.
Shawanee’ Patrick was accepted into the doctoral programs at the University of South Florida in biomedical engineering and Texas A&M University in mechanical engineering. She has decided to remain in Aggieland, we are proud of you, Shawanee’!
Christopher Carranza & Lindsay Nail have been accepted into the Dwight Look College of Engineering Undergraduate Summer Research Grants (USRG) Program at Texas A&M University which grants $5,000 towards tuition and fees, housing, and research related travel expenses.
Carolyn Estrada has a publication as a second author in the 2011 American Controls Conference Proceedings entitled "Cascaded Superheat Control with a Multiple Evaporator Refrigeration System". She has also been chosen as a Mechanical Engineering Intern at Schlumberger in Sugar Land, TX for the summer. She will begin graduate school this fall at Stanford University, Congrats Carolyn!
Danielle Macedo has secured a place in the International Integrative Undergraduate Research Program called “The Diversity Project” sponsored by the NSF. She will participate in a 10-week educational program designed to increase participation of under-represented minority students in the biological sciences through an integrated research experience in Bali, Indonesia. She also received a UGR Travel Grant to attend Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Conference.
Guadalupe Torres was offered a position as an REU Fellow in the University of Missouri-Columbia 2012 Summer Projects in Neuroscience Research Experiences for Undergraduates program sponsored by the NSF. We look forward to hearing about your work Guadalupe!
Halliburton’s Consulting & Project Management Department has selected Seifeddin Badri for an internship for the summer in Houston, TX. Seifeddin is a junior petroleum engineering major, kudos Seif!
Daniel Bueso-Mendoza was offered a Software Engineer position with Tata Consulting Services (TCS) to begin upon his graduation in May of 2012 and another job as well; but he has decided to pursue graduate school! We are elated. Keep up the good work, Daniel.
The Texas A&M University Biochemistry Summer Undergraduate Research Program offered Adrian Luna a research position for the summer. He will receive a stipend of $4500 plus food expenses and housing support. Congratulations Adrian!

Material from past UGR Seminars

• Publishing Your Research - Presentation from a Past UGR Seminar
• Insiders Guide to GRE - How to prepare for the GRE.