Undergraduate Research Initiative

The VMI Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) provides the stage on which cadets can compete and be nationally recognized for their research, analysis, inventions, and presentation standards.  Funding for research projects is available for cadets to pursue their interests. 

Opportunities are numerous for cadets to attend and present their projects at symposia across the nation.  In 2008, a team of undergraduate VMI cadets were selected for a highly coveted national competition in engineering, competing against graduate level programs from MIT, Johns Hopkins and other universities; the VMI team placed fourth for their life-saving invention. 

VMI's Undergraduate Research Initiative is an institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research: Learning Through Research.  VMI's  Journal of Undergraduate Research, New Horizons , has been recognized by the National Council on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) as a model publication.  The editors of VMI's New Horizons have been selected by NCUR to collaborate with Oxford University to establish a framework in which peer institutions can develop similar publications that showcase student research.

URI integrates student intellectual curiosity into the VMI experience. It establishes the framework in which educational development can thrive outside the classroom environment.  Academically motivated cadets work closely with faculty mentors in a unique one-on-one environment as they pursue scholarly research. A major goal of URI is to enhance the existing curriculum and elevate cadet standards and expectations.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) supports the URI goals by providing a structured program and financial support for research projects conducted during the summer at VMI.  Cadets can live in Barracks in a more relaxed environment during the summer months, engaging in in-depth research with their faculty mentor.  SURI also has opportunities for international travel and study to fulfill research needs.

Since undergraduate research plays such an important role in preparing students for their lives after college, Office of Undergraduate Research works closely with the Career Services and Internships office.

VMI is an Institutional Member
of the Council on Undergraduate Research