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

Core Professional Competencies

Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences build the professional competencies that employers say they’re looking for, including:

• Ethics: Receive training in ethical research and scholarship practices.
• Systems Thinking – Authentic Problem Solving: Present research findings in publications and at national conferences.
• Teamwork: Work full-time through the summer in research experiences with some of the country’s leading engineering faculty.

If you’re a Michigan Engineering student, use Spire to find out more about how SURE can foster your professional growth. 

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 

Core Professional Competencies

Teaching and Tutoring experiences build the professional competencies that employers say they’re looking for, including:

• Communication: Strengthen communication skills and gain experience with important topics like confidentiality, academic integrity, and conflict management.
• Empathy: Gain experience understanding, valuing and appreciating the perspectives of other instructors and students
• Leadership: Facilitate discussions, labs, and class activities and collaborate with faculty and other instructors.

If you’re a Michigan Engineering student, use Spire to find out more about how Teaching and Tutoring can foster your professional growth.