Austin Salgat, a transfer from Monroe Community College, had little experience working with robotics and microcontrollers until he participated in a U-M fellowship.

The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, which creates research partnerships between students and faculty, has offered summer fellowships for community college students interested in transferring to U-M. The fellowship is funded by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.

“I was thrown into a situation where I had a short time to learn a lot of new technology,” says Salgat, a junior computer engineering major. “I was surprised how fast I was able to pick up on what I needed to know, it really gave me confidence with working with technology I knew very little about.”

Salgat and more than 950 students will present their findings through oral and poster presentations at UROP’s annual spring research forum April 21 in the Michigan League. The forum, which is free and open to the public, is from 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

UROP Director Sandra Gregerman says students increasingly are becoming interested in doing research with faculty, especially during their early years in college. UROP, now in its 22nd year, provides students hands-on experience with faculty in all academic fields and disciplines.

This fellowship program for community college students was started three years ago and has averaged 17 students each year, Gregerman says. The program is intended to increase the students’ knowledge of the U-M campus and encourage students to transfer to the university by familiarizing them with faculty, peers and the campus along with helping them explore an area of interest for potential graduate work.

Salgat designed a Web site for his project and maintained a blog. One thing he’s learned from this experience is building his skills in research and problem solving.

“The skills I have learned are the same skills that exist on many job postings for my career,” he says. “It is a good feeling to know that many of the problems I will face as an engineer will be things I already have direct applicable experience with.”

UROP is located on the first floor of the Undergraduate Science Building. The program is accepting applications for the 2010-11 school year. Priority will be given to current students who apply by May 1, and the application for incoming first year and transfer students opens on May 1. For more information about the program, go to www.lsa.umich.edu/urop.