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Open to US citizens and non US citizens
Deadline: 01/31/2025 (Tentative)

General Information

The Penn Institute for Urban Research (IUR) organizes an Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium (UURC) that facilitates faculty- and doctoral student-mentored, undergraduate urban-focused research. The program includes funding support for a joint faculty-student research project and a semester-long, credit-bearing seminar (CPLN 5280/URBS 4280). The course is cross-listed between the Weitzman School of Design’s Department of City and Regional Planning and the School of Arts and Science’s Urban Studies Program. Students from each of the University’s undergraduate schools (Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Applied Science, Nursing, and Wharton) are eligible to participate, and faculty and doctoral students from across the University’s 12 schools are welcome to participate in research on a wide range of urban issues. The program will sponsor up to 10 projects each spring. Grant funds will be provided to support new and/or existing research efforts.

In the past, research projects have ranged from ethnographic studies of Philadelphia nightlife, to identifying barriers to walking in disadvantaged neighborhoods, to analyzing urban mass transit. UURC student-faculty collaborations have yielded publications in refereed journals, leveraged other research funding, and prepared undergraduates to pursue original research as an extension of the UURC project or in other areas.

Eligibility Guidelines:

  • Students must be available during the allotted weekly seminar time.
  • All standing faculty, adjunct, practice or clinical professors, and doctoral students in all schools are eligible.
  • Faculty and doctoral students must identify enrolling student as part of grant application, facilitate and supervise student research and participate in joint presentations throughout the semester.
  • Research projects must be urban-focused and can be drawn from a range of disciplines including Anthropology, Art History, City Planning, Community and Urban Health, Community Development, Cultural Studies, Demographics, Design, Education, Economics, Engineering, Environmental Science, Finance, Fine Arts, Geography, Governance, History, Historic Preservation, Housing, Humanities, Immigration, Infrastructure, Landscape Studies, Law, Management, Medicine, Metropolitan and Regional Studies, Natural and Applied Sciences, Poverty, Public Policy, Real Estate, Social Work, Sociology, Transportation, and Urban Studies.

Course Format:

Weekly seminar attendance by students is mandatory. Faculty are expected to attend and participate in four sessions: the first class in January and three subsequent sessions in which they will co-present their projects. At the first of these sessions, they will present the context for their research question, at the second they will support their respective students in presenting their research design and at the last session they will support student presentations of findings and implications. Faculty-student presentations will be approximately 45 minutes. In addition to seminar attendance, faculty members will be required to meet with students no less than three times during the course of the semester. See list of past funded projects here.

Grant Support:

Grants (up to $2,000) will be available to support joint research projects. Grants may not be used for direct student compensation during the period of the course but may be used for a student stipend during on-going summer research.

Application Details:

Applications for the UURC grant program should include:

  • Research Project Description: An outline of the topic/research area and its relevance/connection to urban-focused issues. This outline should include the questions the research seeks to address, the methodology to be employed, the research gap that is filled, and how the proposed research expands existing knowledge within the discipline.
  • Student Participation and Statement: Provide the name, year and school of the student. The student should briefly describe how they see the project fitting into their course of study, what research skills they have or hope to learn, and what they hope to gain from the course.
  • Detailed Project Budget: Outline use of funds in the following categories: research materials, transportation/fieldwork, summer student stipend and other appropriate expenses.

The Request for Proposal Form should be completed and submitted electronically to Yining Lei (yiningl@design.upenn.edu) and Travis Decaminada (tdec@design.upenn.edu). 

Funding Type

Details:

Research Offering Type

Grant, Independent Research

Location

USA

Undergraduate School

College, Engineering, Nursing, Wharton

Source

Penn

Contact Information

If you are interested in the course or have any additional inquiries, please e-mail Yining Lei (yiningl@design.upenn.edu) and Travis Decaminada (tdec@design.upenn.edu).