We invite you to apply to the Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP) at the University of California, Irvine. A collaboration between the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), the MDP will engage UCI undergraduate students from all disciplines in design teams co-mentored by at least two faculty members from different Schools. The MDP allows students to develop the multidisciplinary skills and knowledge that will advantage them in their graduate studies or careers that demand collaborative design across disciplines.
We encourage you to review the 25 projects available, and submit your application online at the UROP Web site by Friday, February 3, 2012.
Selected by the mentors, the multidisciplinary teams will develop a project design by the end of Spring Quarter 2012. Each team will submit an itemized budget. Calit2 will provide 2:1 funding, supplying two-thirds of the funding of up to $3,000 (project expenses only) to match one-third from other sources (e.g., UROP, faculty grants, or students’ personal funds). Working and meeting space will be made available on the second floor of the Calit2 Building. The mentors may provide additional space.
MDP Fellows also will be invited to participate in various workshops on project management, team building, conflict resolution, and other activities to ensure each team’s success and enrich participants’ overall experience. Students will receive academic credit through courses with the instructor designated as their faculty mentor. Students who are currently conducting faculty-mentored undergraduate research or creative projects are encouraged to apply, as their schedules allow and upon approval of their mentors.
We hope you share our excitement about this program and its potential to include future design problems provided by industry and the broader UCI community. For more information, please contact the UROP Office, Student Service II, Suite 2300; (949) 824-4189, or E-mail:urop@uci.edu
Sincerely,
Said M. Shokair
Director, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)