Vertically Integrated Projects

The Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program at Rice University unites undergraduate education and faculty research in a team-based context. Rice VIP students earn academic credits, while faculty and graduate students benefit from their teams' design and discovery efforts. The projects span beyond a single semester, allowing students to make substantial contributions and experience different roles within large multidisciplinary teams.

VIP Projects' long-term nature creates an environment of mentorship, with faculty and graduate students mentoring teams, experienced students mentoring new members, and students moving into leadership roles as others graduate. Faculty members leading projects are in Rice's departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Mechanical Engineering (MECH), Physics (PHYS), and Bioengineering (BIOE).

Students participating in VIP at Rice projects may apply for the ECE Department's Distinction in Research and Creative Works Honors.

VIP Projects can be found under ELEC 491 in the General Announcements (GAs). Each project will have a correlating course code under ELEC 491.

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Rice University is a member of the VIP Consortium, based at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Seventeen colleges and universities came together for a Consortium Planning Workshop in April 2014. Through the proposed Consortium, partner institutions established VIP programs at their institutions.

How to Apply

Students must complete the following to join a VIP Research Project

  1. Choose an active project from the below list of VIP projects
  2. Email lead faculty on the project to request permission to join the team. You must confirm how many credit hours are available to take during this project (first and second-year students should take no more than one credit hour per semester)
  3. Confirm with VIP Project lead professor the correct course number to register for. The course registration may depend on your academic year
  4. Email your academic advisor to confirm registering for VIP Course. Make sure to include the amount of credit(s) you are taking and what course number you are registering under
     
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Rice VIP Projects (ELEC 491)