 Looking to get involved in a research project, but not sure where to start, never fear. Today, your friends at the UCLA Library and the Undergraduate Research Centers are here to introduce the Undergraduate Research Portal, or URP for short. The URP helps you find and apply for research opportunities at UCLA and beyond. Right from the homepage, you can browse all available research projects ranging from those that are volunteer-based or approved for course credit, such as Student Research Program or SRP99, to those that are paid or scholarship opportunities. The portal lets you filter your results by things like position type, research area, duration, hours per week, and more. These opportunities include ones for the summer and ones that are off campus as well as on campus. Once you find a project that you like, the posting will either give you direct contact information for the principal investigator or let you apply through the organization's website. If you don't find an opportunity that's a good match right away, don't worry. Faculty can browse through student profiles to look for candidates for future projects. If you create a profile that lists your skills and interests, faculty and researchers will be able to reach out to you directly when they are listing new opportunities that might interest you. Fill in at your profile with a lot of details, such as courses you've taken, awards you've won, and student groups you're a member of, allows faculty and hiring researchers to gauge how well you fit with their project and what contributions you'll be able to bring to the team. There is also a field where you can add information the boxes above didn't cover, such as programming languages or other skills. In addition to using the portal, you should still reach out directly to potential research mentors who might have an opportunity they haven't listed. Both undergraduate research centers can provide you with helpful insights to guide those conversations. Check out their websites for more information. Looking for help with the next steps? Contact the undergraduate research centers for portal assistance or email the help desk. Good luck with your research!