Call for Proposals for

Undergraduate Research Grants for

Fall 2012 and Spring  2013

The Office of Undergraduate Research through the Division of Undergraduate Academic Programs (DUAP) will provide up to $1,000 in grants (based upon quality and merit) to a selected number of undergraduate students for undergraduate research projects for Fall and Spring 2013. The deadline for applications is 5:00 pm, Friday, May 25, 2012.  Students must submit their completed proposal and budget online to be considered. Forms can be downloaded below.  The site is open for formal registration and grant submission at

  http://www.ncsu.edu/undergrad-research/research_awards/login.php

Grants will be given to single student and team proposals.  If a team submits a proposal, a team leader should be selected to register and submit the proposal.  Detailed instructions for submission are found below and can be downloaded. Information sessions on how to register and create proposals will be announced on the Office of Undergraduate Research website at www.ncsu.edu/undergrad-research.  Students whose proposals are selected for a grant, are required to attend a brief but mandatory information session describing expectations and reporting mechanisms. Several sessions will be offered.  Students who receive grants are expected to participate in a future NC State Undergraduate Research Symposium, see (http://www.ncsu.edu/ugrs/).  NC State students may also present at the State of NC Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium in November each year, publish in the NC State Undergraduate Research Journal, present at a professional conference, or publish in a professional journal. 

Eligibility

NC State undergraduate students enrolled in at least 9 hours are eligible. There is no GPA requirement, but students must have the commitment (and recommendation) of a tenured or tenure-track faculty sponsor for their research, or the Department Head’s approval.  A letter of recommendation from the mentor must be submitted to Judy Day at undergraduate-research@ncsu.edu.  Because the objective of providing these grants is to seed interest and involvement in research, priority for receiving this grant is given to students who have not been previously funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research.  Students may also schedule an appointment with our office to discuss other research options.

Application

To apply for a research grant, a student must download the proposal and budget documents found below and meet with their mentor to develop the proposal and the budget.  On the proposal form, describe the proposed research or creative project along with its importance and implications for advancing disciplinary knowledge, develop a research plan that includes the question or problem being addressed; the hypothesis, problem, engineering goals, or creative work with a description in detail of methods or procedures; and show a link between the research and their curricular interests, although the research does not have to be in the student's major. On the budget, list projected expenses associated with the research. Expenses should not include any salary funds but may include required travel.  Salary or stipend funds will impact any financial aid that the student may receive. The student can select if the funds should be given to the student, the mentor (helpful if equipment is to be purchased), or split between the student and the mentor. This form is used by the Office of Financial Aid to determine impact on any University financial aid support of the student.  The student must identify the faculty mentor for the project who will submit a recommendation and who has agreed to serve as the official mentor of the project and to attend, with the student, the mandatory meeting of all grant participants.

The faculty recommendation should be submitted by the May 25, 2012 deadline to

undergraduate-research@ncsu.edu.

STEPS TO APPLY:

1.     Download the Student(s) Grant Proposal Form and the Research Grant Budget Form.

2.   Complete the Student(s) Grant Proposal Form.  Please limit your proposal to 3 pages!  With the Word document form – diagrams can be inserted.  If a team is submitting a proposal, only the team leader should register and submit the proposal.

A.  Brief description of the proposed research or creative project

B.  Research plan that includes the question being addressed, hypothesis, problem, engineering goal, or creative work with a description in detail of method or procedures

C.  Statement of the importance and implications for advancing disciplinary knowledge

D.  Link between the research and the student(s)’ curricular interests (research does not have to be in the student(s)’ major

E.  Using the link at the top of the form, save the form with the student name and proposal as a pdf file with your name. Ex: judy_day_proposal_12_13.doc

3.     Complete the Research Grant Budget Form. If a team is submitting a proposal, only the team leader should register and submit the budget.

A.  List all expenses for the research project even if they are over the $1,000 maximum limit for the grant. However, please list only the funding that you really need for the project.  We can fund more $500 grants than $1,000!   Break down the expenses by category such as supplies, equipment, travel, etc.  If you need more than the 50% of the grant in the fall, please check this and give an explanation of this on the budget form as well.

B.  Additional information about the Budget can be found on this budget explanation document.

C.  Discuss with the mentor if the funds should be distributed to the student (travel, general supplies) or to the mentor (equipment that would be difficult for the student to order).

D.  Provide all information needed at the top of the Form.

E.  Using the link at the top of the form, save the form with the student name and budget in the file name. Ex: judy_day_budget_12_13.

4.   Your mentor must submit a letter of support for the research that includes a recommendation of the student(s) to undergraduate-research@ncsu.edu by May 25, 2012.

5.  Students should register at http://www.ncsu.edu/undergrad-research/research_awards/login.php  

A.  Once you have submitted your NC State unity login and password for the security wrap, you will need to create a Username and Password for the “Research Awards Login”.  If this is the first time you have entered the system, select the link “Register Here” and follow the steps below.  If you are returning to the Research Awards Login, please enter your previously created Username and Password and select “Submit”.

B.   For new registrations: enter a username, password, and email address and “Submit”

C.  When you receive the page “Registration successful!”, select “Proceed to login page” where your newly created username and password should be seen.  Select “Submit” to enter the system.

D.  If this is your first time entering the system, select “Add New” to begin entering your contact information and uploading your proposal and budget.

E.  Once you have entered all of the information for you, any team members, and mentor, you can upload your completed proposal and budget forms from your computer.

F.  Please “Save” the page before leaving to complete the uploading process.

G.  The system will save your information and send you to a new page.  Choose to either “Edit” or “View” at the top of the page OR “Back to the list” at the bottom of the page.  If you have another proposal to submit, complete the new blank form and then save.

H.   If you select “Back to the list” or enter the system after entering data, you will see your information listed in the table.

I.    To edit any submitted data, select the “Edit” icon  in the table to the left.  To view your information without editing, select the “View” icon  on the left.

J.  Information can be edited until 5:00 pm on May 25, 2012.

6.  For additional information, contact Judy Day at judy_day@ncsu.edu or 919-513-0848.

Questions about the GRANT SUBMISSION PROCESS –

Please contact Ms. Judy Day, judy_day@ncsu.edu, or call 919-513-0848.

Criteria for Selection

Grants will be reviewed by faculty within the college of the mentor. Criteria used for selection of students include

• Details of the experimental goals, design, methods and expected results
• Evidence of how its results will be used
• Appreciation for the value of research in the chosen discipline
• Connections between the project and candidate's curricular interest
• Recommendation by the research mentor

Payment

Payments will be made in early September for both the fall and spring amount after the Office of Undergraduate Research has a signed contract from the student(s) and mentor.  Payments will be distributed through the Financial Aid Office and into student accounts unless the funds are to be distributed to the faculty account.   Students should not wait to begin the research until payment is received in case of delay in University processing.

Additional Requirements and Understandings

1. Students who are enrolled in at least nine hours of undergraduate study at NC State are eligible for the grant even if they are off-campus for the semester (e.g., enrolled in an international exchange program)—provided they have the consent and participation of a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at NC State and provided they meet all conditions of the grant.
2. Students will complete an interim report at the mid-point of the research and a final report at the end of the semester for which they accepted the research grant.
3. A student may earn a maximum of $1000 in this grant period (Fall 2012 and Spring 2013). The combined spring and summer grant is designed for students whose research requires more time than a single semester would permit; the grant would be a maximum of $1000 for the combined semesters.  Students that request funding for multiple semesters should expect the funding to be split between the semesters unless other arrangements are made.
4. At the end of the project, the student and faculty mentor will each complete a brief, separate, confidential evaluation of the research experience.

Application deadline is 5:00 pm on Friday, May 25, 2012.  All application materials and recommendations must be submitted through the Undergraduate Research Grant website at

http://www.ncsu.edu/undergrad-research/research_awards/login.php