Undergraduate Research Assistant Program (URAP)

Undergraduate Research Assistant stipends fund students in assisting and collaborating on faculty-lead research or creative projects. Students will learn while supporting faculty in their research and creative activity. Faculty will mentor research assistants, teaching them relevant disciplinary skills and responsible conduct of research. Students may work up to 150 hours per semester and projects may last for more than one semester. This program is intended to provide students a substantive intellectual experience. Mentoring is an important part of what makes a successful application. Assistants can help in areas such as:

• Library research
• Data collection
• Data analysis
• Laboratory experimentation
• Manuscript preparation

Applications for URSCI URAP awards for Fall 2021 will be accepted through August 20, 2021. We will use a new application site. You will be asked to enroll in a Canvas course. 

• Canvas Application Site

Summer 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistants

• Carlie Merola will work with Professor Javier Carmona (Rosary College, Art & Design) on the project "Burden of the Orb."
• Hilda Alvarez Rodriguez and Jaqueline Candela will work with Assoc. Professor Patrick Homan (Rosary College, Political Science) on the project " Young Adults’ Perception of Political Participation in American Democracy."

Spring 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistants

• Margaret McClure is working with Christopher Allison (Ph.D., Director of the McGreal Center for Dominican Historical Studies) on the preparation of a museum-quality exhibition on Dominican University's history. 
• Jacqueline Ramirez and Prayer Childress are working with Professor Tracy Caldwell (Rosary College, Psychology) on the project titled "Synthesizing the Literature on Undergraduate Teaching Assistants."
• Daniel Sharrah and Stephanie Viruet are working with Assistant Professor Sophia Duffy (Rosary College, Psychology) on the project titled "Trauma and Well-being in College."
• Geneva Capp is working with Assistant Professor Yamunadevi Puraikalan (Rosary College, Nutrition Science) on the project titled "Development and objective evaluation of functional muffin using broccoli stalk flour."

Fall 2020 Undergraduate Research Assistants

• Lance Grunert is continuing his work with Assistant Professor Persis Driver (Rosary College, Psychology) on the project "Evaluating the Efficacy of Embedding Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in Behavioral Research and Statistics Courses."
• Lesley Arroyo is working with Assistant Professor Persis Driver (Rosary College, Psychology) on the project "Speech-Language Pathologist’s Efficacy and Beliefs in Assessing Bilingual Children."
• Kiara Raña is working with Associate Professor Scott Kreher (Rosary College, Biological Sciences) on "Development of novel methods for analysis of olfactory behavior and repellent odors in Drosophila melanogaster."

Summer 2020 Undergraduate Research Assistants

• Lance Grunert will work with Assistant Professor Persis Driver (Rosary College, Psychology) on the project "Evaluating the Efficacy of Embedding Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in Behavioral Research and Statistics Courses."
• Melissa Lopez will work with Assistant Professor Sophia Duffy (Rosary College, Psychology) on the project "Trauma and Well-being in College."
• Laura Shaw will work with Professor Patrick Homan (Rosary College, Political Science) on the textbook project "US Foreign Policy in Action: An Innovative Teaching Text, 2nd edition." 

Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 Undergraduate Research Assistants

• Hannah Gordon continued her work with Professor Irina Calin-Jageman (Rosary College, Dept. of Biological Sciences) on the project titled “Epigenetic regulation of the savings memory genes.”
• Abigail Johnson and Melanie Myszka worked with Assistant Professor Michelle Allen (Nursing) on the project titled “Psychological capital in undergraduate nursing students participating in a renal simulation.”
• Pablo Vargas worked with Assistant Professor Zomary Flores-Cruz on the project Complementation of host-induced hydrogen peroxide-scavenger mutants in “Vibrio fischeri”
• Nicholas Lombardo worked with Professor Jeffery Cote de Luna on "Cookbook Image Editing."

Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Assistants

• Carlos Benitez worked with Professor Tina Taylor-Ritzler (Rosary College, Dept. of Psychology) on the project “The Men's Project at Dominican University: A Replication and Evaluation of Stewart (2014).”
• Madison Fette worked with Assistant Professor Amartya Chakrabarti (Rosary College, Dept. of Physical Sciences) on the project “Synthesis and Characterization of Tin Sulfide Nanomaterials.”
• Hannah Gordon worked with Professor Irina Calin-Jageman (Rosary College, Dept. of Biological Sciences) on the project titled “Transcriptional Correlates of Savings Memory.”
• Victor Jimenez Carrillo worked with Assistant Professor Amartya Chakrabarti (Rosary College, Dept. of Physical Sciences) on the project “Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Sulfide Nanomaterials and Their Characterization.”
• Natalie Stellato worked with Professor Javier Carmona (Rosary College, Dept. of Art, Art History and Design) on the project “Summer at Cordelia.”

2018/19 Undergraduate Research Assistants

• Lucille Benoit worked with Prof. Yamunadevi Puraikalan (Borra College of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition Sciences) on a new project on “Applications of Whey in Fruit Beverages.”
• Samuel Bjorklund worked with Prof. Joseph Sagerer (Rosary College, Dept. of Physical Sciences) on the project "Component Testing for Particle Detector Readout."
• Kassey Franco worked with Prof. Patrick Homan (Rosary College, Dept. of Political Science) on the project "Factions and U.S. Foreign Policy."
• Julia Horn worked with Prof. Josephine Sarvis (School of Education) on an investigation of the reasons for the lack of interest in pursuing secondary teacher licensure in STEM fields by academically talented students.
• Everett Krause worked as research assistant with Prof. Irina Calin-Jageman (Rosary College, Dept. of Biological Sciences) on the project titled "Transcriptional profiling of rekindled memories in Aplysia californica."
• Kiara Raña worked with Prof. Scott Kreher (Rosary College, Dept. of Biological Sciences) on the project “Development of novel methods for analysis of olfactory behavior and repellent odors in Drosophila melanogaster.”
• Tania Rosiles worked as research assistant with Prof. Robert Calin-Jageman (Rosary College, Dept. of Psychology) on the project titled "Understanding savings memory​."
• Qi (Chelsey) Zhao worked with Prof. Yuanqing Li (Brennan School of Business, Dept. of Accounting, Finance and Entrepreneurship) on a new project titled “The Power of Poetry in the World of Business.”

Students receive $11 per hour for up to 150 hours ($1,650) during a 15-week semester or over the summer.

Eligibility: Full-time undergraduate students who have attained at least sophomore status and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 are eligible.

Visit More to Explore below to learn more about research assistant awards. Information about awards made prior to 2012 can be found here: URAP awards (pdf).