The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) is an eight-week research program designed to interest talented undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in academic careers and to enhance their preparation for graduate study through intensive research experiences with faculty mentors. In addition to the research experience, the program includes professional development workshops, seminars, field trips, and social activities.

Each year, the Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs works in partnership with the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) to host twenty-five to forty students participating in the SROP. These students are from colleges and universities across the country and from the island of Puerto Rico. During the summer, students spend eight weeks on campus working with faculty mentors in the academic fields for which they might pursue graduate work. Each student also prepares a major paper on his or her research project for presentation at the Penn State SROP Symposium.

In addition to SROP activities at Penn State, students attend the CIC SROP National Conference at the hosting university. As part of the national conference, they participate in round table discussions to talk about their research and to learn about the work of SROP students at the other CIC institutions.

Please visit the SROP website for more information about applying.

Past SROP Students

  • Shanequa Smith- Summer 2010 from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
    • Currently: Second year graduate student at University of North Carolina working on masters in Biomedical Science and Pharmaceutical Science, Graduating December 2013
  • Natalia Vega- Summer 2011 from the Univeristy of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
    • Currently: Will be studying Veterinary and Equine Technology at Murray State (Murray, Kentucky), Fall 2013