The IAP Research Mentor Program (IRMP)

Mentoring is a highly valued endeavor, but what does good mentoring look like? What do students really want from their mentors? What do mentors try to accomplish when working with new researchers?

The Research Mentor Program, which began during MIT's Independent Activities Program (IAP) in 1993, links MIT undergraduates who have never done a UROP ("pre-UROPers") with upperclass students who have at least one year of UROP experience and/or MIT faculty ("Mentors"). The aim is twofold: to provide experience to students who want to begin a UROP but either lack the technical background, or are not ready to make a formal commitment to a project and to concurrently give upperclass students a taste of what it is like to teach a beginner.

Pre-UROPers are not eligible for pay from UROP during IAP, but are given careful consideration for UROP funding if or when they are invited to join a UROP project the following spring or summer. Student mentors are awarded a small honorarium from UROP as compensation for their efforts.

Pre-UROPers will be given the opportunity to review mentor projects ahead of time to request a mentor and/or a department in the event that we cannot match you based on your request. Mentor research descriptions will be posted on a rolling basis as mentors join the program.

Only MIT undergraduate students may participate in IRMP. Feedback from IRMP participants offers student and faculty perspectives about research, IRMP, and mentorship in general.