1. Education 

• Mens et manus/Mind and Hand – UROP helps students develop research skills within specific disciplines, form connections with faculty and other researchers, enhance presentation skills, and have “real-world” experiences that help inform choice of major/minor, graduate study, or career. 

2. Mentorship 

• An approved UROP project presumes active and regular communication and oversight between participating undergraduates and their MIT faculty supervisors. 
• UROP helps build meaningful connections with faculty, researchers, graduate students, and other undergraduates who share similar research and career interests. 

3. Independence and academic maturity 

• UROP helps students develop independence and academic maturity throughout their research experiences. 
• Some UROP students go on to author papers on research projects in which they are involved in, or are able to develop independent projects