Article by: Grant Mullins, Research Engagement Student Coordinator
The Michigan Research and Discovery Scholars (MRADS) was founded in 1996 under the name UROP In Residence. In this past twenty-eight years, MRADS’ identity, staff leadership, and student body have changed significantly. Yet, the core focus of MRADS has stayed the same. MRADS is committed to providing first-year students with impactful opportunities to learn about and engage in research at the University of Michigan. We believe strongly that our students have the capacity to make meaningful changes in the world around them through their research experiences.
In the almost three decades that MRADS has been around, an astonishing 2,349 MRADS students have graduated from the University of Michigan. Yet many people may not recognize “MRADS” or know what it is.
So how did we become MRADS? Who are we?
MRADS found its humble beginnings under a completely different name and located in a completely different residence hall. In September 1996, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) at the University of Michigan established a “pilot live-in” program at West Quadrangle. Eventually dubbed “UROP-in-Residence” (UIR), this brand new living-learning community saw forty-eight UROP students and two resident advisors find community amongst one another in a shared living space, dedicated to research. These same students agreed to conduct undergraduate research under the auspices of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. Humble beginnings, indeed.
UIR refined its brand identity and staff leadership just a few years later. In 2003, Dr. Christine Bass was appointed MRC’s Director. She held this position for fourteen years. Under her leadership, UIR was rebranded to “Michigan Research Community” (MRC)-- a decision that made clear the significance of research to the program. It also marked a moment of developing a distinct identity from the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). While the MRC (and eventually MRADS) would continue to productively partner with UROP to support student research, this rebranding allowed the program to articulate a new vision for shaping students’ learning and experiences. Under the name MRC, the program grew to 148 Scholars– a student enrollment that we maintain today.
Amidst this growth, the MRC was rebranded once more, becoming the “Michigan Research and Discovery Scholars” (MRADS) in July 2018. The decision to rebrand came about because of the strong desire to promote interdisciplinary research. Reflecting on this change, former Associate Director, Amanda Loh states that, back then, “scholars in the humanities and social sciences rarely referred to themselves as ‘researchers’ and instead used the term ‘scholars.’” Switching to ‘scholars’ made sure that more disciplines would feel welcome in the program. Moreover, the name-change “reflected the community’s commitment to working with researchers from all backgrounds.”
Today, our program has stabilized under the name MRADS, even as we continue to evolve and innovate. Our focus now is less on the name itself. We are committed to continually updating our practices to meet the evolving needs of both our students and the broader research community. We constantly reflect on what meaningful growth looks like and how best to achieve it.
As we implement these changes, we are heartened by the fact that all members, stretching from 1996 to 2024, are bound by the shared experience of engaging in undergraduate research and thinking critically about how research can productively shape our world.
