When first-generation mechanical engineering student David Miguel arrived at UC Merced, he had no research experience, but a passion for engineering and a desire to learn.
A former foster care youth from Los Angeles, Miguel had limited resources to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). His interest in mechanical engineering was sparked at a community fair, an experience that led him to start a general engineering club at his high school.
That passion found direction through UC Merced’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) Summer Undergraduate Research Initiative (SURI), which Miguel credits with helping him become a researcher and opening pathways he never knew existed.
SURI is an umbrella for more than a dozen programs run by UROC and on-campus partners. Programs range from broadening participation of Californians in STEM Ph.D. programs, the STEM professoriate and the STEM workforce to training in stem cell biology and engineering and providing graduate school preparation. All programs offer a stipend, and some are residential.
