Responsible Conduct of Research
The National Science Foundation has instituted a requirement for the University to provide training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars paid from NSF grants. The University and the Department of Physics & Astronomy require that everyone – even those not specifically supported by the NSF complete this. If you have done such training at another institution you must also do this one OR send proof of completion of the previous training. Sometimes the system will not let you register 'again'.
The University has opted to require undergraduates to take a short online tutorial offered by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) through the University of Miami. This RCR course for our undergraduates only has 3 modules. Many institutions require many more modules. The undergraduates are required to read and understand the module and complete an examination using pass/fail criteria. The entire process usually takes about ½ hour.
Registration: Undergraduates should register at citiprogram.org. Undergraduates should register (do NOT login) in the upper right corner and enter University of Rochester as the participating institution then you have to check both boxes to agree/affirm and then you enter your name and email and create a user name and password. You can access the .pdf with specifics about accessing the training here.Then you should be able to see the course options for the University. Enter your personal university email and only enter in fields that are required (asterisk). The office phone number you can enter if you do not want to enter your personal phone number is the Physics Department office: 585-275-4351.
Course Selection: During the registration process, undergraduates might be offered a choice of courses. Decline the option to pay for other certifications/credits. Students should select ONLY the RCR course for UR Undergraduate Students.
Proof of Completion of Training: Please email a copy of the completion report to reu@mail.pas.rochester.edu . We really do not care about the score, just that you passed. Administrators at the University may access the list of those who have completed the “course” to ensure compliance. They do not see the scores.
Thank you for adherence to this requirement that will be scrutinized by the NSF and its auditors.