Summer Research Opportunities Program marks 40 years

When The Ohio State University launched its participation in the Summer Research Opportunities Program in the mid-1980s, the goal was direct and ambitious: Give undergraduate students access to faculty-mentored research and help them imagine themselves in graduate school.

Four decades later, that mission continues.

Ohio State’s Graduate School is celebrating the 40th year of the Summer Research Opportunities Program, or SROP, a Big Ten Academic Alliance initiative that prepares undergraduate students for graduate education through intensive research experiences, faculty mentoring and professional development.

At Ohio State, SROP brings undergraduate students to campus for a summer of full-time research, cohort-based learning and preparation for the next step in their academic journeys. The 2026 program ran from May 26 to July 24, and includes weekly enrichment activities, workshops on graduate admissions and financial aid, networking opportunities, and a culminating symposium where students present their research.

SROP also connects students to a broader summer research community through Ohio State’s Consortium of Undergraduate Research Experiences, which brings together 16 summer undergraduate research programs from across the university. Founded in 2019 within the Graduate School, the consortium was created to help programs collaborate, share resources and build community for undergraduate research participants.

Brianna Davis Johnson, assistant dean for mentoring and strategic initiatives in the Graduate School, said SROP gives students a chance to see graduate education not as an abstract possibility, but as a tangible and supported path.

“It’s an opportunity for students, both who are maybe already at Ohio State or who are coming from places anywhere across the country, to really imagine themselves as graduate students and professional students here at Ohio State,” she said. “We are very proud that Ohio State has had a cohort since 1986, and we have been able to provide 1,000 students with an opportunity to participate in SROP.”

The program’s structure has remained largely consistent over the last four decades. Ohio State’s current SROP model continues to combine intensive research with professional development, community building and mentoring. Students spend approximately 40 hours each week on research and also participate in workshops on topics such as applying to graduate school, writing cover letters, developing personal statements and presenting research.

Mary Stromberger, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School, supports the continued efforts of SROP.

“SROP provides promising undergraduate students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a summer research experience,” Stromberger said. “Students receive mentorship from faculty and graduate students, as well as professional development to better prepare them for applying to graduate school. In a nutshell, SROP opens doors to curious minds and provides a path to advanced education, research training and leadership.”

For students, the program can be transformative because it offers direct experience in research environments that may not be available at their home institutions.

Katy McCaffrey, a 2026 SROP participant and senior at Denison University, spent the summer conducting research in animal sciences. Her project examined the proteins and enzymes that are present during the second month of pregnancy and how they help maintain pregnancy.

Her faculty mentor, Rafael Domingues, assistant professor in ruminant physiology in the Department of Animal Sciences, studies animal reproductive physiology with the goal of identifying ways to support pregnancy success in animals and improve reproductive outcomes more broadly.

McCaffrey said SROP offered a different kind of research environment from what she had experienced as an undergraduate at a small liberal arts college.

“Being part of SROP and being able to work alongside graduate students as well as Dr. Domingues has been a really unique opportunity, and it’s provided a lot of key insight into both how life as a PhD student or master’s student would be, and what a long-term career in research looks like,” she said.

Domingues said undergraduate research experiences are important, regardless of whether students ultimately pursue research careers.

“I always have a lot of undergraduate students in my lab,” Domingues said. “I think it’s critical to have them involved in research, whether they want to pursue a career in research or not. That’s when they learn about the basics of why we conduct research, why do we do things the way that we do.”

The mentorship McCaffrey received from Domingues and a PhD student in his lab was central to her experience.

“They are very supportive. They want you to try out all the different things in lab, learn the techniques and kind of work through problem solving, which has been really rewarding,” she said.

For Johnson, that faculty-student connection remains the foundation of SROP’s success.

“We work very closely with faculty mentors who really are the heartbeat of the program,” Johnson said.

The program’s long-term impact is evident in alumni such as Maria Ford, a 2019 SROP participant and Ohio State graduate alumna who is beginning the next stage of her career as an associate clinical trial manager.

“Participating in SROP at Ohio State would be one of the best decisions that you can make in your undergraduate career because it will give you the groundwork for what you need to do to be able to succeed in whatever career trajectory that you choose to take,” Ford said.

Forty years on, SROP continues to connect students with faculty mentors, research communities and graduate school preparation, while advancing the Graduate School’s broader work to expand access, fairness and pathways to advanced education for all students.