Research and Teaching

Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE Program)

Talk to a human: sureprogram@umich.edu | (734) 647-7090

Semesters Offered/Recommended: Summer

Financial: 10-12 weeks of full-time summer research experience with a $5,000 stipend

SURE offers summer research internships to outstanding undergraduate students who have completed their sophomore or junior year. The program provides opportunities for students to assess their interests and potential in pursuing research at the Masters or PhD level in graduate school.  

Looking for something to complement your SURE experience? Consider one or more of these:

• Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)
• Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)

If SURE isn’t quite your style, one of these opportunities may be a better fit.

• Multidisciplinary Design Program
• Center for Socially Engaged Design
• Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety

Research can give you great resumé points and memorable interview material.

Most projects include opportunities to:  

• Conduct full-time summer research with some of the country’s leading faculty in a wide range of engineering disciplines 
• Prepare for research at the Masters or Ph.D. level in graduate school  
• Present research findings in publications and at national conferences

Semesters Offered/Recommended: Year Round

Financial: Most positions include a competitive hourly rate

Teaching and tutoring opportunities provide students with a different perspective on their discipline, and a deeper understanding of technical subjects. Students are also exposed to educational philosophies and different approaches to learning.  Teaching opportunities are available to Michigan Engineering undergraduate students in a variety of ways.  One of the most common is working as an Instructional Aide (IA).  IAs are highly qualified undergraduate students who teach.  As departments and instructors hire IAs directly, there is no central IA program office.  To identify IA opportunities, students may consider contacting their instructors or academic departments about IA openings, searching the UM Student Employment website, and becoming familiar with large first year courses. The Center for Research on Teaching and Learning in Engineering provides required training and important teaching resources for IAs.   

Looking for something to complement your experience?  Consider one or more of these:

• Tutor and Supplemental Instruction Leader through the Engineering Learning Center
• Michigan Engineering Common Reading Experience Facilitator

If being an IA isn’t quite your style, one of these opportunities may be a better fit.

• Become a tutor for your department. Contact the undergraduate advisor in your department to find out how to become a tutor. 
• Tutor in the Math Lab, Physics Help Room, or Science Learning Center 

Teaching, tutoring, and mentoring provide a unique experiential learning opportunity that can give you great resumé points and memorable interview material.

Most opportunities include:  

• Collaborating with faculty and other instructors to create meaningful learning experiences for other students
• Leadership opportunities through facilitating discussions, labs, and class activities
• Training in inclusive and active learning strategies
• Developing strong communication skills and experience with important topics like confidentiality, academic integrity, and conflict management