Undergrads earn grants for research
Most students would jump at a chance to have $1,000 given to them. Utah State University undergraduate students interested in research have that chance.
Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities is a grant program that funds students’ scholarly, creative and research interests. URCO supports projects which go beyond the routine requirements for a course or degree program, according to the program’s Web site at www.usu.edu/vpr/funding/urco.
“They really want students to be creative, so they don’t put rigid restrictions on it,” said Aaron Brown, assistant to vice provost for Undergraduate Studies and Research.
Brown said there are many benefits to participating in the URCO program. Projects bring publicity to USU, faculty mentors gain teaching experience and students are able to apply their skills, he said.
“For one, it reinforces what you learn in the classroom by practicing it in research,” he said.
To receive an URCO grant, students must develop a research project, then turn a proposal into a faculty panel to be evaluated. The faculty panel screens the entries and selects the most meritorious, according to the Web site.
The proposals are evaluated by a variety of criteria including the evidence of research or creativity in a project design. The study poses a researchable question and supplies a hypothesis, the promise that the project will be a significant learning experience for the student, matching funds committed, and clear budget request.
The maximum amount of money available to one student through URCO is $500. The specifications of the grant require a student to have a sponsoring academic department that will match the support given by URCO, allowing the student to get a total of $1,000 for his or her project.
URCO funds may be used to cover the costs of equipment, supplies, technical support or travel to do research, according to the Web site. They may not be used as stipends or any other form of compensation for the student.
Students can request additional money for traveling expenses through the Associated Students of USU Academic Opportunity Fund, Brown said.
URCO has two phases of applications, one during fall semester and one during spring semester. The deadline for proposals in phase one is Oct. 10.
Workshops to help students with their applications and proposals will be held on Sept. 23 and 24 at 4 p.m. in the Honors Lounge.
Although many students have already started their proposals, there is still time to begin a proposal, Brown said.
“There is no reason why any student who has an ambitious idea can’t do it,” he said.
Brown said URCO usually awards 16 to 20 grants each year. In 2002, there were 14 grants awarded. Eighteen grants were awarded for 2003, he said.
The money for the grants comes through the office of the Vice President of Research, Brown said.
He said there are changes in the marketing and recruitment plans at USU that emphasize hands-on and service-learning which help with the funding for the grants.
“The importance administration put on undergraduate research is shown through the budget for it,” Brown said.
Brown said most students are doing research for a professor and want to start a project of their own. He said the experience prepares students for careers with larger research requirements.
Students can earn credit hours for the time they spend working on their projects, Brown said. Students typically spend anywhere from 30 hours to 20 hours per week on their project, he said.
USU supports programs like URCO because they are trying to build a reputation as a top institution nationwide in undergraduate research, Brown said.
– krasmus@cc.usu.edu