Ilitch Business student receives university funding for research project

Laura Cazacu, a senior majoring in management and information systems management at the Mike Ilitch School of Business, has been selected as one of 28 students to have their research funded by Wayne State University’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) for the winter-spring/summer 2022 cycle.

Cazacu’s project, titled “Technology. Key to Sustainability.” will be conducted under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Information Systems Management John Heinrichs.

Born in Romania and raised in London, England, Cazacu came to the U.S. in 2018 to enroll at the Ilitch School and play on the WSU women’s tennis team. She has excelled both in and out of the classroom, earning GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team, All-GLIAC First Team and All-GLIAC Second Team honors. Cazacu has been named an ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete, a CoSIDA Academic At-Large All-District Nominee and a GLIAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week twice. She was also a recipient of the NCAA Division 2 Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

Within the Ilitch School, Cazacu served as director of operations for Agency M-1, a student organization that allows students to use their expertise to serve Detroit-area businesses.

After graduating from WSU this May, Cazacu plans to continue her studies back in England where she has already been accepted into several prestigious graduate programs.

About UROP

The Wayne State University UROP invites students from disciplines across the university – hard sciences, social sciences, performing arts, and humanities – to participate in undergraduate research. Undergraduate research puts theory into practice as you work on projects and are mentored by full-time faculty who are leaders in their field. 

Hands-on research experience prepares students for graduate school and employment opportunities. It also allows them to contribute to the ever-changing knowledge base within their chosen field.

Interested students can apply through March 11 for spring/summer-fall 2022 UROP funding.

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