Call for Proposals

Undergraduate Research Awards

for Spring and/or Summer 2009

The Division of Undergraduate Academic Programs (DUAP) will provide $750-$1,000 stipends (based upon quality and merit) to a selected number of undergraduate students and up to $300 for operating cost (non-salary) to their supporting NC State University faculty for undergraduate research projects for Spring and/or Summer 2009. Last year, 128 students received this prestigious research grant award. The deadline for applications is midnight, October 28, 2008.  Only electronic submissions through the Fellowship advising web portal (http://www.ncsu.edu/fao) will be considered.  For those selected to participate, a brief but mandatory information session describing expectations and reporting mechanisms will be held in November. Students who are awarded stipends are expected to participate in a future NC State Undergraduate Research Symposium, held each spring semester and in the summer, 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 or publish in the NC State Undergraduate Research Journal. 

Eligibility

All NC State undergraduate students enrolled in at least 6 hours are eligible for this funding; 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 online by the mentor.  Because the objective of providing these stipends is to seed interest and involvement in research, priority for receiving this award is given to students who have not been previously funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research.  Students who are awarded a summer stipend but complete requirements for graduation in the spring lose their eligibility to retain the award.  If a student has already received an award from the Office of Undergraduate Research and desires a summer internship, information may be found on our web site (http://www.ncsu.edu/undergrad-research/) under Student Opportunities.  Students may also schedule an appointment with our office to discuss other options for student research.

Application

To apply for the research award grants, students must first register as Advisees on the Office of Fellowship Advising Web Gizmo (FANG) Portal at (http://www.ncsu.edu/fao).  All proposals must be submitted through this web portal to be reviewed.  Three forms to be completed will be found within the site for each college award. The first form is information on the student and the mentor. On the application form, students must describe the proposed research project along with its importance and implications for advancing disciplinary knowledge. Students should develop a research plan that includes the question being addressed; hypothesis, problem, or engineering goals; description in detail of method or procedures; and a statement of the importance and implications for advancing disciplinary knowledge. Students should show a link between their research and their curricular interests, although the research does not have to be in the student's major. On the last form, students must develop a budget of projected expenses associated with their research. These expenses should not include any salary funds.  This form is used by the Office of Financial Aid to determine impact on any University financial aid support of the student.  Students must identify a faculty sponsor for the project proposal to 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.

STEPS TO APPLY:

1.     Register as “Advisee” on the Office of Fellowship Advising Gizmo (FANG) at http://www.ncsu.edu/fao

2.     Find the site for your college award by doing a Text Search under the Program Directory for Undergraduate Research Proposal or “URP”

3.     Create your workspace for this proposal at the bottom of any of the tabs for the college award

4.     Find the proposal forms to download under “Resources”:  Information Document, Proposal Document, and Budget Document

5.     List anyone that you would like to review your proposal under “Advisors”.  This gives them access to your workspace.

6.     List your mentor for the recommendation and send the mentor their login information under “References”.   Notify your mentor to accept an email from “FANG – Do Not Reply”.  This will provide the login and password needed to submit the recommendation for you.

7.     Complete the documents and upload them within the “Portfolio” section for Completed Information and Final Proposal and Final Budget by the deadline of Tuesday, October 28, 2008.

Criteria for Selection

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

For spring awards, payments will be made in one installment at the end of January.  For summer awards, payments will be made in late April.  If the award is for the spring and summer, the award will be split into two payments, one in late January and the remainder in late April.  Payments will be distributed through the Financial Aid Office and into student accounts.   Faculty operating cost supplements will be deposited directly into their departmental accounts and must be accessed through their department.  Faculty supplements will be made in January for students requesting awards for the spring and spring/summer.   Faculty will receive supplements in late April for summer-only research students.

Additional Requirements and Understandings

1. Only tenured or tenure-track faculty are eligible for the faculty supplement.
2. The student must complete the research project proposal found through their College Proposal link on the NC State Fellowship Advising Web Site (http://www.ncsu.edu/fao).  Proposals must be uploaded into the student’s workspace to be reviewed.
3. Part of the intent of this award is that students get to spend quality research time with a faculty mentor, which precludes a faculty member from taking on a large number of students.  If a team of students are working on the same project, only $300 will be awarded to the faculty member as operating costs for the team.
4. Students who are enrolled in at least six hours of undergraduate study at NC State may be eligible for the award 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 other conditions of the award.
5. Students as well as faculty will complete a brief report at the end of the semester for which they accepted the research award.
6. A student may earn a maximum of $1000 in this award period (spring and summer 2009). The combined spring and summer award is designed for students whose research requires more time than a single semester would permit; the award would be a maximum of $1000 for the combined semesters.

Reports

At the end of the project, the student and faculty mentor will each complete a brief, separate, confidential evaluation of each other’s work as well as an evaluation form.