Proposals for undergraduate research grants due Feb. 8
The deadline for submitting proposals for undergraduate research grants is February 8. Those undergraduates who are still scrambling to seek financial support for their research or project can take advantage of this opportunity.
According to Joyce Kinkead, vice provost for Undergraduate Studies and Research, this undergraduate research program, called Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunities (URCO) has existed for more than one decade. The goal is to encourage undergraduates to explore their scholarly potential, initiate their creative thinking and actively engage in a research project.
“[The] vice president for Research provides the funds for the URCO competition,” Kinkead said. “Two years ago, it was [a total of] $8,000, last year it was $9,000, and this year it is $10,000. Undergraduate research is increasingly important to the university, so we will work to increase that amount.”
The maximum support for one research grant is $500, and there is no minimum dollar amount, Kinkead said.
According to the URCO Web site, “Research is broadly defined to encompass creating a sculpture, composing a piece of music, doing archival scholarly work and working at the laboratory bench.”
Furthermore, “Research or creative projects which are not routine for a course or degree program are eligible for support on a competitive basis,” according to the site.
Kinkead said, although the funding is obtainable for research in all disciplines, applicants are required to meet the same criteria.
“First, the applicant should be an undergraduate student. Second, a well-written proposal should be submitted by the deadline. Third, documentation of matching support from the department is required,” she said. “That’s why the faculty member or the department are going to vouch the proposals.”
The department sponsors half of the amount requested in the proposal, Kinkead said.
It means the grants for undergraduate applicants this year total $20,000, counting the matching support from the department, she said.
Kinkead said there is no acceptance for late submission.
Usually, Kinkead said, most proposals submitted in spring are for natural resource research or geographical study, because those studies are often carried out in summer.
“We received 30 proposals in fall, and most are from science and social science discipline,” she said. “We have very few proposals from humanities this past fall, but we got six good proposals from the art department.”
Jay Owens is one of those six art students who received the grant. He said his project, “Snapshots of a Domestic Pilgrim: Expressions on Living Culture,” is supposed to provide a vivid reflection of American’s living environment, diversified cultures, intriguing customs and so on.
Through the “domestic pilgrim,” he said, he hoped people would like to pull themselves out of the daily chores a little bit and be more enjoyable with their life.
Owens said he felt very grateful for receiving the financial support from URCO and the art department.
“URCO creates a good opportunity for undergraduate students to explore their own potential,” he said.
The proposals are evaluated by the faculty members.
“Science faculty rate the science proposals, social science faculty rate the social sciences proposals and art faculty rate the arts proposals,” Kinkead said. “The faculty from all the disciplines have a good track record of being fair to all the students.”
The review panel will keep students informed by a letter which will summarize of the evaluation and tell whether their proposals are approved, Kinkead said. To those who failed the competition, an explanation can be expected in the letter.
She said some suggestions might be given in the letter to those whose proposals have some minor problems. They may be allowed revision and resubmission within a period of time.
In order to give applicants an idea of how to write a good proposal, an orientation is held for them, Kinkead said.
“We have another meeting that teaches how to spend the budget, something about research ethics, etc.,” she said.
According to the URCO Web site, a final report of the project is required and the unused funds must be returned.
The report should summarize how the project is completed and how the budget was spent, Kinkead said.
“The research could be successful or unsuccessful,” on condition that the budget is spent appropriately on the project, not for personal use or for other compensation. Otherwise, they may ask for reimbursement, Kinkead said.