Any faculty member can be a mentor for students, as long as at least one mentor is a member of the UCI Academic Senate. Faculty mentors have the opportunity to work with some of the most ambitious, innovative, and creative undergraduates at UCI. They play an important role in the undergraduate research process by assisting students in making the transition from classroom learning to real-world applications. Researchers' contributions can greatly enhance students' development and confidence to pursue successful careers. In addition, close interaction between students, faculty, and other research personnel exposes students to research processes and methods, and to higher levels of learning.

Faculty expertise and support guide undergraduates through the research process. Faculty mentors are expected to support undergraduate students when they are writing their proposals for UROP or SURP grants, submitting their research paper to The UCI Undergraduate Research Journal, and developing their presentation for the UCI Undergraduate Research Symposium. Keep in mind that UROP does not assign students to particular faculty members; we only facilitate the relationship by helping students discover their research interests and suggesting to them some faculty researchers who may have the same interests.

To better understand the importance of undergraduate research on this campus, UCI invited faculty to respond to a survey assessing their views of undergraduate research in Winter 2002. Faculty members were asked about what improvements or gains they experienced as a result of their involvement in undergraduate research. Here are some of their responses:

• Understanding the learning needs of undergraduates
• Understanding the types of preparatory skills and/or courses that the student needs before doing research
• Understanding the importance of undergraduate research as an integral component of the student's education, regardless of her/his career choices
• My teaching methods
• My own research projects

To list opportunities for undergraduate researchers, we encourage faculty to complete the On-Campus Submission Form.

On-Campus Submission Form
UROP invites faculty to submit their available undergraduate research opportunities by completing this form.

Faculty Mentor of the Month
Each month UROP selects one UCI faculty mentor who has participated in and contributed to the advancement of undergraduate research and creative projects.

Faculty Advisory Board
The UROP Faculty Advisory Board advises the UROP Director on the progress and future growth of the program, contributes to campuswide discussions about undergraduate research.