MURI FAQs

Who may form an IUPUI MURI team?

Faculty members, researchers, and students may write an IUPUI MURI research proposal. Students who submit a proposal and form a team must designate at least one faculty mentor to supervise their work.

How are project proposals from MURI Mentors evaluated and what are the evaluation criteria?

The project proposals of the MURI mentors will be evaluated by the IUPUI MURI Advisory Board prior to each semester and the approved proposals will be posted on the MURI web sites (in Engineering and on the UROP IUPUI MURI web site). The MURI mentors project proposal forms as well as the evaluation criteria used for the proposals can be found at Mentor Applications and Mentor Proposal Evaluations, respectively.

What students may apply for and be included on an IUPUI MURI team?

Students with minimum GPA of 3.00 (cum) and 12 credit hours earned at IUPUI towards their degree program are eligible to be MURI scholars. Each IUPUI MURI team must include at least one freshman or sophomore student. All students may be freshmen or sophomores but the ideal team will include a mix of underclass and upperclass students. Students must outnumber the faculty mentors on an IUPUI MURI team.

What does the program expect of IUPUI MURI scholars?

• The IUPUI MURI scholars forming a MURI research team are expected to deliver a MURI project as supervised by a MURI mentor in accordance with the following arrangements:
  •  A MURI team must be formed with at least two students working on an inter/multidisciplinary project.
  • Students from any discipline on the IUPUI campus may apply to a MURI project.
  • Students must outnumber the faculty mentors on an IUPUI MURI team.
  
  
• There are two types of team members that may participate on a MURI team, a full team member and an observer (or temporary) team member.
  
  • The full team member participating during the academic year should register for at least one-credit hour of an independent study course in the discipline, such as, ME 491 Engineering Projects, K493 Biology Research, or H399 each semester of the project. Students should use a course in their own major department designated for independent research study, if there is one, or be enrolled in a course that has been designated for participation in the IUPUI MURI program. Consult a department advisor for help choosing an appropriate course in which to enroll.
  • Observers are temporary team members who participate only for short periods of time on a MURI team to fulfill research requirements in a course laboratory or for other reasons. Observers do not have to register for a research course. These students are not full team members, do not bear the responsibilities of full team members, and are not be compensated for their participation on a team. Permission to join a team as an observer may be arranged through the IUPUI MURI program and is granted by the MURI faculty mentor of the team.
    
    

Full team members must sign a contract that specifies their responsibilities. Responsibilities and compensation differ between the academic year and the summer. Contracts are provided by the IUPUI MURI program and may be edited by the MURI faculty mentor.

How long does an IUPUI MURI project last?

Each Academic Year there will be only one call for proposals, which will occur in the fall, for projects extending through May 1 (AY Projects). A second call for proposals will be issued in mid-March for Summer MURI projects. Summer MURI Projects begin on the first Monday in June and extend for nine weeks. Students recruited by MURI Project Directors to Summer MURI Teams are designated UROP Fellows and participate in activities included in the IUPUI Summer UROP Fellows Program.

No cost extensions are possible to complete projects for the AY or the summer at the request of the mentors.

What is the compensation for a student participating in the IUPUI MURI program during the academic year?

• Qualified students are awarded a $1,500 stipend, usually for 120 or more hours of research work. The work schedule and number of hours per week is determined in consultation between the student and faculty mentor(s).
  
  
• Scholars do not receive additional compensation for no-cost extensions of projects.
  
  
• Scholars will receive half of their stipend ($750) at the start of their project. The remaining half ($750) will be paid at the completion of the project, as determined by the mentors.
  
  
• The $1,500 earned by MURI scholars during a semester will apply to the cap allowed to all students for IUPUI UROP grants for research projects and research travel ($2,000). Scholars are also qualified to apply for IUPUI UROP conference grants for up to $1,200 to present their work at professional conferences.

How can professors teaching regular classes use the IUPUI MURI program?  

The IUPUI MURI program provides block grants to professors who conduct research in a class where the research, scholarly or creative activity meets the definition specified by the IUPUI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

• The professor, with the approval of the department head, by a letter of recommendation, must submit a regular IUPUI MURI application.
  
  
• The class must be approved by the department for IUPUI MURI participation.
  
  
• Students enrolled in a class designated for IUPUI MURI participation must abide by the instructor’s work schedule, which will be specified in a syllabus.
  
  
• Students participating in a class designated for IUPUI MURI participation will not receive the regular $1,500/sem compensation but will receive compensation through a block grant at the discretion of the IUPUI MURI program.
  
  
• All other IUPUI MURI semester program details will apply to block grant programs (such as faculty compensation, project compensation, reporting requirements, student presentation requirements).

What is the compensation for a student participating in the IUPUI MURI program during the summer?

• The student participating on an IUPUI MURI team during the summer will be designated an IUPUI UROP Fellow and receive a stipend of $3,200. The student will begin full time summer activities on the first Monday in June spending about 75% on research and 25% on professional development activities specified by the UROP Fellows Program (see the UROP Fellows web site).
  • Scholars will receive their stipends on a schedule determined by the UROP Fellows Program.  This schedule will be available to all scholars when they are accepted into the summer program. The first payment normally is paid out in the first week of June.
• 
  The stipend earned by MURI scholars during a semester does NOT apply to the cap allowed to all students for IUPUI UROP grants. Scholars are encouraged to apply for research project and research travel grants through the IUPUI UROP grants program. Students are qualified to apply for IUPUI UROP conference grants for up to $1,200 to present their work at professional conferences.

What are the responsibilities of the IUPUI MURI Mentors?

• The MURI mentors are expected to define the scope and objectives of MURI projects and supervise the inter/multidisciplinary research projects of MURI teams for successful completion. Mentors will sign the IUPUI MURI or UROP Fellows program contracts for their team members. Note for block grants a syllabus will specify requirements for students and these will conform to normal course requirements.
  
  
• Keep track of the time devoted by each MURI Scholar for research (about 120 hours during a semester, 75% of the summer research time).
  
  
• Complete the projects in a timely manner within a semester or summer.
  
  
• Submit a Status Report to MURI at the end of each semester or summer and completion of the project.
  
  
• Prepare teams to give oral presentations or posters at conferences and other research gatherings. Prepare students for the summer research conference at the CIC venue (during July) and for the final research conference for the summer program for UROP Fellows (early August).
  
  
• Assist the teams to prepare and present posters and/or papers at appropriate on-campus conferences and professional meetings.
  
  
• Help scholars obtain additional funding for subsequent semesters from MURI, UROP, or other sources.
  
  
• Assure that the teams submit an electronic version of their presentations to MURI for archiving and posting on the MURI web site.

What is the compensation for IUPUI MURI Mentors?

Each IUPUI MURI Mentor on a team receives a $500 stipend. The stipend is paid in the paycheck. Upon request the stipend may be used for travel.  Travel funds are drawn from the IUPUI MURI account in the IUPUI Center for Research and Learning.

Does the IUPUI MURI program provide project funding?

Each team may receive a project award of up to $2,000 for research expenses (equipment and supplies). Depending on the availability of funds, some projects may receive partial funding.

Where are project conducted?

IUPUI MURI projects are normally conducted on the IUPUI campus. It may be appropriate for some projects to be conducted at venues off-campus but within commuting distance of IUPUI during the semester. Summer projects must be carried on at IUPUI to allow students to participate in the UROP Fellows Program

How does a team report completion of its project?

The IUPUI MURI teams may choose one or more of the following options for reporting completion of their projects by submitting:

1. Copy of a written final report written by the team and evaluated by the project mentor (see Guidelines for final report format)
2. Copy of an oral presentation given at a relevant local or national event
3. Copy of a poster presentation given at a relevant local or national event
4. Copy of a publication in a journal, book, or other appropriate media

The MURI mentor must submit a final Status Report to the IUPUI MURI program, with available documents from the above list, attached to the report as evidence of successful completion.

What are the expected outcomes of an IUPUI MURI project?

For successful completion a MURI project, the students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a sustainable research effort
2. Clearly identify the project completed
3. Demonstrate creativity
4. Use effective and sound multidisciplinary research methodologies
5. Work effectively in multidisciplinary teams
6. Demonstrate completeness of project
7. Demonstrate effectiveness in writing
8. Demonstrate effectiveness in presenting their work to diverse audiences orally