Entering its ninth year, the Amgen-UROP Scholars Program invites undergraduates to participate in faculty-mentored summer research at MIT in the science and biotechnology areas.

Students admitted to this program (known as "Amgen Scholars") will have opportunities to conduct research, analyze data, present research results, network with other undergraduates with similar research interests, and develop working relationships with MIT faculty mentors and other research staff.

Participation has many benefits. Amgen Scholars learn how to collaborate effectively in research settings while investigating areas of research interest within a specific discipline and gaining practical skills and knowledge for both graduate study and post-graduation careers. Participants become fully integrated in MIT's summer research community, interacting with faculty mentors and fellow undergraduates while participating in research seminars and other networking events. Most importantly, Amgen Scholars become involved in exciting research and contribute to the advancement of science in an area of interest.

The Program also offers a competitive compensation package. Amgen Scholars working 40 hours per week for the nine week period will earn $4,320, based on an hourly wage of $12.00. Housing in a designated MIT residence hall and a $800 food allowance will also be provided.

Space in the the Amgen-UROP Scholars Program is limited; up to 20 undergraduates will be admitted for Summer 2015.

If you are artistically gifted, show the world!

Become a student researcher TODAY.

Make friends. Connect with faculty (especially if you have a hard time doing so now). Travel. Publish. Get paid.

You can do ALL of these things and more.

Follow the link provided for additional information and to see what other research projects peers in your field have done.

• Present research at Leadership Alliance National Symposium (LANS) as well as a UVA research symposium.
• Work hands-on with UVA faculty mentor(s) and graduate student mentor(s).
• Participate in workshops on research methods, statistical software, and the grad school application process.

• A $3000 stipend and some travel and meal expenses.
• Housing in a university residence hall.

• Be a member of a group that is underrepresented in educational research.
• Be a current junior, with 2 semesters or less to complete after the internship.

“So, What Can you do with Your Major?”

The Holidays are quickly approaching. Many of us will be traveling and visiting family and friends. Some of us may go to holiday parties filled with our parents’ friends and people we typically only see once a year. At all of these events you are more than likely going to be asked “So what do you want to do with your major?” you’ll probably be asked more than once. 

If you aren't quite sure what you want to do with your degree yet, this is probably a very frustrating question. When you answer that you aren't quite sure yet, you’ll get responses that almost definitely indicate that your relatives think you are doing nothing but sleeping in or going to parties. Other possible responses include your neighbor beginning to tell you how she ended up working at her dead end job that she hates, or your mom’s best friend telling you how wonderful her son is doing at college. No matter the response you get you probably won’t end up finding your dream career over Thanksgiving dinner or at that awkward holiday party. 

I am a biology major and I have known for a while that I want to work with animals in some way. I absolutely loved the vacation I took with my family to Yellowstone National Park. I told my relatives that I really liked the idea of working with the wildlife, like at Yellowstone. They then proceeded to think I wanted to be a forest ranger. For years they thought I wanted to be a forest ranger until they asked me about how UMBC was preparing me to be a forest ranger. I looked at them so confused! 

My career path has changed many times since I have been at UMBC. I wanted to be a bioengineer, then a veterinarian, then a geneticist, then I wanted to do something more computational, then I wanted to do biomedical research, and now I am applying to graduate school to study evolutionary biology.

Your career path is not always clear cut. You may even change majors from biology to chemistry and then from chemistry to economics, and then from economics to global studies. If you aren't sure what you want to do, come to the Career Center and set up an appointment and we can help you identify possible career paths related to your interests.

If you don’t want to end up hiding in the corner with your older sister who graduated over a year ago and still doesn't have a job, then come to the Career Center. You can also check out some of the career exploration tools on our website like the Woofound Compass which is a quick and easy personality assessment. And the Focus 2 is an excellent self-assessment tool that uses your interests, personality, skills, and values to develop a long list of possible careers. The Focus 2, along with career advisement provided by Career Specialists, can help you clarify your career path. We have several other career assessment tools on our website that you may find useful as well.