Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (PURM)

Faculty: Click here to Apply

Information for Faculty

Program Overview:

One of PURM's primary goals is to support the development of close mentor/mentee relationships. Through the program, we expect students will be included in all phases of the research process and introduced to the realities of academic scholarship. To see last year's faculty proposals, click here.

Because PURM is a matching program rather than a funding vehicle, faculty members should not have identified/engaged students prior to submitting an application.

Standing faculty members in any discipline from any of Penn’s twelve schools are encouraged to apply. Applications from faculty from underrepresented groups are particularly welcome. 

Standing faculty members should describe a project (or projects) through which they could provide meaningful mentorship that will engage undergraduate(s) full-time for ten weeks over the summer.   

Faculty should submit only one application but can outline multiple projects or distinct parts of a single project therein.  Projects may also include curricular development.  

Historically, ~35-40% of faculty who apply have been selected as PURM mentors.

 

Faculty can elect to mentor one or two students through PURM:

• CURF will support either one or two students per faculty mentor.  Faculty mentors may opt-in to receive $1,000 in research funds to offset research-associated expenses. Electing to forgo these additional funds will enable CURF to support more student participants. The optional $1,000 grant is paid into the faculty member’s research account and cannot be taken as salary.
•  Requests to mentor two students are strongly encouraged, but dependent upon available funds.

 

Faculty Eligibility, Application, and Selection

Only standing faculty members are eligible to apply to PURM. While applications involving more than one mentor are acceptable and encouraged, the application must be submitted by a member of the standing faculty. Clarification on standing faculty definitions can be found here).

• Preference will be given to faculty who have not previously served as PURM mentors. Faculty can serve as PURM mentors for no more than two consecutive years.
• Student interest is a major factor in selection, as determined by the number and quality of students who apply to be mentored by a particular faculty member.  Submissions with no mentee applicants will not be supported.  Thus, we encourage prospective faculty mentors to describe the academic and professional skills, experiences, and benefits a student would derive from their mentorship. 
• Diversity of projects and faculty are also weighted heavily, since each year PURM seeks to include faculty from as many different Penn schools and departments as possible.
• Proposals for remote projects will not be accepted.

Information for Students

PURM students gain an understanding of the research process, conduct cutting-edge research in a variety of fields, and develop a one-on-one relationship with a Penn faculty member. 

PURM students will receive $5000 to support their participation in the program.  Students must be available to fully engage in their PURM project for ten weeks during the summer.  In many cases, PURM research relationships continue during the academic year through informal collaborations, independent study, or departmental or university-funded research grants.

Since PURM participants will be fully engaged during their 10-week experience, selected students should not be involved in any other activities (e. g. employment, internships, or coursework) that will interfere with their capacity to participate successfully in the program.  The exact dates that students will conduct their research should be determined in conjunction with their PURM Faculty Mentor. 

Student Eligibility

Full-time, regularly enrolled undergraduates in good standing from Penn’s four undergraduate schools who are completing their first- or second-year (in their 2nd or 4th semester) of university are eligible to apply.  International students must verify with Penn’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services that participation in PURM will not conflict with their visa status.  

Students currently engaged in programs that provide mentorship and/or funded research opportunities such as University Scholars, Engineering’s Rachleff Scholars, and the Vagelos family of programs, are not eligible for PURM.  Students already conducting research with a particular faculty mentor are less likely to be chosen. Such students should consider applying for funding from another source, such as the College Alumni Society Research Grant, the Class of 1971 Robert J. Holtz Endowed Fund for Undergraduate Research, or others identified on our website.

Students may participate in PURM only once.

PURM Application and Selection Process Overview

Faculty submit a description of a project(s) through which they could provide meaningful mentorship for undergraduates.

The faculty project descriptions will be available shortly after faculty applications close (typically in late January).

Once the project directory is available, students apply to be mentored by up to three faculty members, indicating their first, second, and third choices. To maximize the chances of moving forward, students should apply to be mentored by 3 different faculty members.  If you do not receive a confirmation email, your submission was not received.  Applications must be received by 11:59PM on the due date. Late submissions will not be considered.

PURM mentors will be selected based on the criteria outlined above under "Faculty Eligibility and Selection." Because there are always more applications submitted than funding available, not all faculty will be selected as PURM mentors.

After PURM faculty mentors have been selected, all eligible student applications will be forwarded to them.  Students are asked to notify CURF if their application status changes (i.e., they would no longer like to be considered for a PURM match).  Faculty members are strongly encouraged to interview students prior to making mentee selections.

Students are asked NOT to email potential PURM mentors until contacted for an interview or until the PURM selection process has been completed.

The stories above are just a few of the many projects PURM students have pursued.  Read more and get inspired about what you'd like to explore through PURM.

PURM Benefits & Expectations:

1. Gain an understanding of the research process.  Experience the triumphs and challenges of advanced research.  Hone your analytical skills, providing you with deeper knowledge of your field. Develop a mentor-mentee relationship with a Penn faculty member.
2. Up to 50 students will have the opportunity to attend a two-day Carpentries workshop (in June, exact dates TBD) where you will be introduced to OpenRefine, a tool for data management, and Python, the primary programming language for most data scientists. From data analysis with pandas to data visualization with matplotlib, the session will prove useful to add to your technical toolkit for academic research, further studies, and beyond.
3. Access to an exciting array of Professional Development Seminars.  You will be expected to attend at least 5 of these sessions over the course of your summer, which will be held via Zoom.  They will include sessions like: Networking and Creating Connections, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills, How to Attend a Conference, Library Research Fair, Research Ethics, How to Develop an Elevator Pitch, Making a Research Poster, and more.
4. Present a poster describing your PURM research at the CURF Research Expo in September. 

Timeline:

• Friday, January 17, 2025– Faculty applications due electronically to CURF
• Note: Student applications will open mid-week following the faculty deadline, after faculty submissions are posted
• Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 11:59PM – Student applications due electronically to CURF
• Early March 2025 – Faculty notified of selection decision & receive student applications
• Mid March 2025 – Notification of student selection decisions begins
• Mid April 2025– All faculty and students will be notified of decisions