'It set me on a career path': experiential research program boosts student opportunities
When U of T Mississauga student Massimo Bozzo went looking for ways to expand his skillset, he never imagined the path would lead to the moment’s hottest pop star.
“Taylor Swift was trending, and there was a clash between her fans and hardcore football fans,” says Bozzo, a fourth-year professional writing and communications major. “It really helped with virality, but not everyone was taking the comments the same way. But it was great for data.”
Bozzo’s excitement was not that of a Swiftie, but of a member of U of T’s Research Opportunity Program (ROP), which provides undergrads with the chance to participate in faculty research while earning course credit. As part of pedagogy professor Jordana Garbati’s ‘Emoji Use in Public Digital Writing’ project, Bozzo analyzed more than 5,300 tweets posted during the 2024 Super Bowl (attended by Swift in support of boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs).
“We studied how people were using emojis,” Bozzo says. “Was it decoration or to express feelings? Can the things we say and share have more than one meaning? That’s what we were trying to find out.”
While the focus in post-secondary is often on research at the masters, PhD, postdoctoral or faculty level, U of T – recently ranked by Research Infosource as Canada’s number 1 research university – also offers plenty of opportunities for undergrad research.
Among the offerings are the Co-op Internship Program, undergraduate research awards from the Canadian Institutes of Health, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the ROP, which offers students a half or full credit upon completion of the course.
“The ROP provides students with practical research skills and knowledge, while offering a platform to build strong relationships with instructors, learn about exciting new developments in various fields and explore new areas of interest,” says Stephanie Vega, manager with Experiential Education Unit, which oversees the ROP.
For Bozzo, the emoji study was a chance to learn about data analysis and the visual aspects of communication. “That was really my first time using qualitative analysis. It showed me how to spot trends using analytics and data, which will be very useful working in marketing and communications.”
For fourth-year accounting and economics student Minh Thuy Phi, participating in an ROP in the summer after her second year offered a more immediate route to the work world.
“It set me on a career path before I even finished the project, because it helped me find internships in business, then accounting, because the interviewer was impressed with my Excel skills, which I learned in the research project,” she says. “That led to another opportunity with a Big Four accounting firm, then a Big Five bank, so I am very grateful for the ROP.”
Phi helped with an economic research study, led by professor Philip Oreopoulos, examining the discrimination that non-binary individuals encounter during online job application processes. Part of a four-student team, she joined the program on a recommendation.
“I intentionally chose an economics program so I could also earn one credit towards graduation,” she says, adding that her team presented their results at U of T ‘s annual Summer Undergraduate Research Fair. “But it was also my first time getting involved in researching and I wanted to get first-hand experience in data analysis, which wasn’t part of my other courses.”
Vega says reaching beyond curriculum is just one of the advantages of joining the program.
“High-impact experiential learning opportunities, such as the ROP, deepens students’ undergraduate education,” says Vega. “It fosters the growth of a generation that can critically respond to the needs of society, intentionally contribute to community-campus relationships, and enhance the quality of innovative research and progress.”
Both Bozzo and Phi are now part of the 2024-25 EEU Student Ambassador cohort, sharing their positive ROP experience with potential future participants.
“I would encourage every student to get involved with a ROP, because it doesn’t just help you graduate faster, but you are also learning those technical and soft skills employers want,” says Phi. “And it’s a great chance to get connected to others in academia and other students. I’m still in contact with a lot of the people I worked with, and we only met because of that ROP experience.”
Information sessions for students interested in the ROP program will take place Feb. 5 and 26, 2025. Contact rop.utm@utoronto.ca. For more, visit https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/experience/rop .
