BioURP is a state-funded program that presents undergraduates with a wide variety of research opportunities. Professor Rosemary Gray, who heads the program, places biology students in eight fields of research. Some will conduct research at the University of Utah Hospital, some even in the Huntsman Cancer Institute. In essence, students are active in an intimate research suburb within a city-size university. Accepted students are trained in lab techniques before participating in fields of research that match their specific interests.
Students work under the direction of a principal investigator.
At some point, the students present their research in a semin ar. According to Gray, students have to be able to express their ideas in a cohesive manner. This is a public speaking class with a scientific bent to it, Students not accepted into the two-year program may approach principal investigators directly for other research opportunities. Students have individual needs and preferences, which may or may not involve research. Some undergraduates, through research, will make the discovery that their interests lie elsewhere.