Skip over navigation
Brown shield Brown shield Brown University Dean of the College Brown shield Brown shield Brown University Dean of the College

Named UTRAs*

The Karen T. Romer Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards (UTRAs) fund collaborative research and curricular projects that students undertake with Brown professors. Named for the dean who launched the program in the 1980s, UTRAs provide students with valuable academic experience that prepares them for graduate study and that contributes directly to course development at Brown. The awards have been made possible through the generosity of many donors. We are grateful to all of them for their continuing support.

Read below to learn more about our fully-funded UTRAs and the types of projects they support.

Academic Technology UTRAs
Established in 2010 by Computing and Information Services and the Office of the Dean of the College to provide members of the faculty with undergraduate collaborators to enhance teaching and learning through the integration of new instructional technologies including classroom tools such as "smart" boards, clickers and lecture-capture; and online collaboration and communication tools such as MyCourses, wikis and iTunes. Instructional technologists are available to work with faculty-student teams to develop the proposal for UTRA support; please email academic_technology@brown.edu to request a consultation.

Alden Trust Challenge for Brown – UTRA
Established in 1990 by the George I. Alden Trust to support Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships for talented students in mathematics, the sciences, and engineering, and with preference given to entering freshmen whose permanent home residence is in Worcester County MA.

Anonymous UTRA for Undergraduate Students in the Medical Sciences
Established in 2006 by anonymous donors for the support for an UTRA in the undergraduate medical sciences at Brown University.

Barbakow Family Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantship for Studies in New Media
Established in 2004 by Margo Baker Barbakow and Jeffrey Barbakow, parents of Bennett B. Barbakow, Class of 2004, for support of UTRAs for undergraduate student projects in New Media, including the study or production of computer-generated art, digital film-making, digital music, hypertext literature, and other forms of new and mixed electronic media.

Center for Digital Scholarship UTRA
Established in 2010 by the University Library to provide students with an opportunity to develop a digital project in collaboration with library staff and a faculty member. These projects should introduce qualified undergraduates to the methods and rewards of digital scholarly work and can include data modeling, metadata creation, implementation, interface or interaction design, course integration, or other scholarly uses of digital resources. Projects should build on existing Brown digital collections, develop and enrich new digital collections, or explore new techniques, methods or applications in digital scholarship. The Center for Digital Scholarship will provide a space and technical support for the project. In awarding these UTRAs, preference will be given to students who have demonstrated a high level of motivation and interest in the field(s) represented in the project and who bring ideas and background that strengthen the probability of a collaborative partnership.

The General UTRA Fund
Established through the support of the Office of the Dean of the College and other anonymous donors to fund undergraduate teaching and research in the arts, sciences and humanities.

Irving and Naomi Brodsky Fund in Support of Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships
Established by gifts made in memory of Irving Brodsky, Class of 1933, and Naomi Richman Brodsky, Class of 1936, MAT 1959, parents of David M. Brodsky, Class of 1964; Richard E. Brodsky, Class of 1968; and grandparents of Katherine Brodsky, Class of 1989, to support undergraduate teaching and research assistantships, with a preference for students intending to pursue a course of study in music.

Mitch Cantor UTRA
Established in 2008 by Mitch Cantor, Class of 1978, parent of Hallie M. Cantor, Class of 2011, to provide support for a student in a summer or a semester of collaborative research and/or teaching activities with an individual faculty member, with a preference for students pursuing new research on, and innovative solutions involving alternative energy sources from technological, public policy, research and development, economic and other approaches.

Charles S. Craig Undergraduate Teaching Research Assistantship Program
Established by Charles S. Craig, Class of 1972, and The Craig Foundation to facilitate undergraduate education by supporting collaborative research, course development, and teaching activities between faculty members and students in all academic fields at Brown University. Support will be allocated to the following areas: Undergraduate UTRAs, International UTRAs, Group Research Projects, UTRAs with a preference for students pursuing studies at Selwyn College or Cambridge University.

Robert H. Davidson '49 UTRA Fellowship Fund
Established in 2006 by Robert A. Davidson, in memory of his father, Mr. Robert H. Davidson, Class of 1949, to support UTRAs, with preference given to students pursuing a course of study in science, engineering, mathematics or economics.

Doris M. Deming '30 Fund UTRA
Established in 1992 by bequest of Doris M. Deming '30 to support undergraduate UTRAs for women in the physical sciences, particularly mathematics.

Irving E. Miller '48 P'89 Fund for Undergraduate and Teaching Research Assistantships
Established in 2006 by Irving E. Miller '48, P'89, for support for Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships in the Department of Religious Studies.

Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit UTRA
Established in 2004 by bequest of Samuel M. Nabrit, former Brown Corporation Trustee and Brown Honorary Degree recipient, to establish teaching and research assistantships for minority science majors.

Roy S. and Rosalind S. Neff Endowed Fund for Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships
Established in 2005 by Roy S. and Rosalind S. Neff, parents of Robyn A. Neff, Class of 2002, and Philip A. Neff, Class of 2005, to support two students in a summer or semester of collaborative research and/or teaching activities with a faculty member affiliated with the Initiative in Commerce, Organizations & Entrepreneurship.

UTRA: New Frontiers
Established in 1997 by an anonymous donor to support students participating in Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships.

Quattrocchi Family Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award
Established in 2007 by Lisa Benenson Quattrocchi, Class of 1985, to support a student in a summer or a semester of collaborative research and/or teaching activities with an individual faculty member, with a preference for research and study related to classics.

Lisa Raiola '84 Student Research Fund UTRA
Established in 2005 by an anonymous donor to provide students access to intensive research opportunities through UTRAs and GRPs. First preference is given to student research in the area of biomedical ethics, with second preference for research in public and community health or the life sciences.

Evelyn Jacobs Reisman UTRA Fund
Established in 1990 by Evelyn Jacobs Reisman to support UTRAs for students concentrating in the humanities or social sciences and interested in teaching as a vocational pursuit.

Henry D. Sharpe, Jr. '45 Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards
Sharpe, Jr. '45 UTRAs provide support for a student working in collaboration with a faculty member on a summer and/or semester project that combines research in the sciences with efforts to explain that research to a lay public. Preference will be given to research conducted in the fields of environmental science or renewable energy use, but other scientific fields, particularly those impacting sustainability or the human condition, are also applicable. Each eligible project should educate a non-technical audience about the need for the research, its implications, and the conclusions it yields. Recipients are encouraged to write books, papers, magazine or newspaper articles, to create films, videos, performances, digital and other types of media, that will describe and provide commentary on why the research matters. This UTRA was established by Henry D. Sharpe III '77, Douglas B. Sharpe '78, and Sarah A. Sharpe MAT'86 in honor of their father.

The Sherman UTRA in the Pembroke Center
Established in 2007 by Elizabeth Munves Sherman '77, P'06, P'09 and David M. Sherman '79, P'06, P'09 to support a student in a summer or a semester of collaborative research and/or teaching activities with an individual faculty member, with a preference for research and study related to the mission of the Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women.

Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistant Program
Established in 2005 by anonymous donors to support the Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistant program and with a preference for students working in earth and planetary sciences, energy studies, or environmental studies.

UTRA - Ward Fund
Established in 2004 with gifts from colleagues, students, and friends to honor the life and work of Professor Harold Ward through the support of Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships in environmental education. The Fund will provide undergraduate students the opportunity to spend a summer working on environmental issues in Providence and greater Rhode Island, can serve as the basis for senior theses, and will supplement their classroom education with field experience.

Donna Erickson Williamson '74 Endowed UTRA
Established in 2005 by Donna Erickson Williamson '74 to support an UTRA with a preference for a qualified female student in either engineering, applied mathematics or the physical sciences.

Thomas J. and Jennifer J. Pincince Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards for the Institute for Brain Science
Established in 2008 to support undergraduate teaching and research awards in the Institute for Brain Science.

The David Berson Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantship
Established in 2007 by Alison W. Miller and Joseph D. Bolton, parents of Scott M. Bolton '07, for support for a student in a summer or a semester of collaborative research and/or teaching activities with an individual faculty member, with a preference for research and study in the Neuroscience department.

Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantship for the Study of Race and Identity in honor of Dr. Eugene C. Dempsey
Established in 2007 by Michael A. Dempsey, M.D. '79 to support Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantships, with a preference for students intending to pursue a course of study in Africana Studies.

* Fully funded and with establishing documentation