University Park, Pa. -- As part of the final stage of the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) at Penn State, 41 students will present their research at the SROP Research Symposium from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, at the Nittany Lion Inn on the University Park campus. During the symposium, each student will give a 15-minute presentation about their scholarly work. Following the presentations, a networking reception will be held. The SROP Research Symposium is open to college multicultural directors, SROP faculty mentors, deans, associate deans, and other interested faculty and staff.
SROP is 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 and enrichment activities. Students participating in the program are enrolled in undergraduate degree programs at colleges and universities across the country and Puerto Rico.
During the eight-week program, the students conducted research with faculty members from eight colleges at Penn State and participated in weekly professional development sessions which covered GRE preparation, resume writing, application to graduate school and writing personal statements. They also participated in several team-building activities (including a team-building program provided by Shavers Creek), and in community service projects with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.
In addition to their upcoming presentations at the symposium, several of the students presented their work at the Penn State McNair Research Conference and all 41 students will present their work at the Committee on Institutional Cooperation's SROP national conference from July 24 – 26 at the University of Michigan.
The SROP Research Symposium is sponsored by Penn State's Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs. For more information about the SROP at Penn State, contact Suzanne Adair, senior director of the Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs, at (814) 863-1663.