USciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (USURF)
Request for Summer Research Applications
Application Deadline: March 31, 2017
Purpose of Grant:
The USciences Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (USURF) has been made possible through the donations of Mr. Marvin Samson, CEO of Samson Medical Technologies and Chairman of USciences Board of Trustees. USURF is a mechanism to support deserving undergraduate students interested in conducting summer research under the mentorship of a faculty member.
What constitutes research?
Research is broad in scope and can be conducted in all undergraduate academic disciplines that are offered at USciences. In addition to laboratory experiments in the “bench sciences,” research also includes data collection, archival research, structured interviews, community research or service learning projects, to name a few.
Who is NOT eligible to apply for the USURF?
Recipients are expected to complete their projects before graduation with Bachelor’s degrees.
What are the expectations of this research grant?
• USURF grants will be used to pay the stipend of students conducting summer research.
• Students may opt to spend 6 to 8 weeks during the summer working on a research project under supervision of a faculty member.
• The period of summer research begins on May 8, 2017, ending no later than August 11, 2017.
• Each student will be expected to conduct research at least 20 hours a week, unless enrolled in classes.
• Apart from engaging in their research activities, student awardees are expected to participate in any USURF programmatic activities (seminars, career-building workshops and similar activities).
• It is anticipated that the research findings will be disseminated beyond USciences, e.g. research article, publication, presentation, etc.
• Students will present their research findings at the Undergraduate Research Symposium and USciences Annual Research Day in the following year.
• USURF recipients' names, faculty mentors' names, research descriptions, and photos may be included in the annual Research Day booklet, CUR materials, and in other online and print promotional materials including the University’s website.
• A final research report is required (see below).
• The maximum award a student will receive is $2,240.00. Students are encouraged to view these awards as stipends for research work, rather than subscribing to the “hourly salary” mentality.
USURF Grant Proposal Content:
The proposal format is given below. Proposals that do not adhere to the requirements will not be considered.
Expenses:
• Funding should be used to cover (fully or partially) the student’s stipend and should not be a substitute for financial aid nor used for the mentor's compensation/salary.
• Students will be paid at the rate of $10.00 per hour.
• Materials & supplies will be the responsibility of the mentor/department.
Payroll
Research Compliance Requirements:
• Assignment of Inventions Agreement: All Intellectual Property conceived of, developed, created, or reduced to practice, in whole or in part, by faculty and students in the course of participating in research projects funded by USURF shall be owned by USciences.
• Human or Animal Subjects: Research involving human or animal subjects may require additional approval from USciences IRB or IACUC board.
The Review Process:
Proposals for these grants will be evaluated by the Center for Undergraduate Research (CUR). The primary criteria upon which the grants will be awarded include:
Final Report Requirements:
Due no later than 60 days from when the project is completed. Final reports must be submitted to the Center for Undergraduate Research via CUR@usciences.edu . Please submit the report as a single PDF document. The final research report should include:
Student whose studies are published or presented at a conference must acknowledge that funding support for the research was provided by the USURF Grant Program and notify the CUR via CUR@usciences.edu .
Note:
Submission Process:
Proposals should be submitted directly to the Center for Undergraduate Research at CUR@usciences.edu.
Deadline for submission of proposals for USURF 2017 is March 31, 2017 at 11:59 PM. Incomplete or late applications will NOT be considered.
USURF Summer 2017
Deadline for proposal | Award notification date | Research period | Final report due |
March 31, 2017 | April 21, 2017 | May 8-August 11, 2017 | October 13, 2017 |
USURF 2017
APPLICATION COVER PAGE
Complete and submit the entire application to CUR@usciences.edu by March 31 2017. Applicants, faculty research mentor and department chairs will be notified of the decision by April 21, 2017.
Applicant: ________________ Email: ________________ Date: _________________
Major: ___________________ College: ______________ Department: ____________
Academic status in the Fall 2016? U1-U4, or P1-P3 :__________________________
Applicant’s GPA: ___________________
The faculty research mentor listed in this application will provide oversight of the proposed project:
Faculty Research Mentor Name: ________________________________________
Email: _____________________ Telephone: (____) _____________________
College: _______________ Department: __________________________
Project Title:
Number of weeks of support student is requesting: 6 8
Estimated number of hours per week (a number between 20-35):
Abstract (explain the overall goals of the project in less than 250 words in lay terms, type written, single space in space provided here. Use terminology for an educated non-specialist)
Project design
The structure of the project description provided below is for guidance only, please modify accordingly. Figures/graphs are acceptable if properly formatted.
Objective
Introduction/Background
Proposed experiments
Expected results/Conclusion
References
Personal statement. (Please specify your qualification, the impact the USURF award will make in your academic progress and career goals. Also, provide any other information that you think may help to score your proposal.)