News

• Call for Proposals: Roper Award for Research Experience (RARE)

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The Roper Award for Research Experience (RARE) is a subcategory of the SHARE (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Research Experience) Award. SHARE and RARE are designed especially for students in the earlier stages of their college careers, to introduce them to research in their chosen fields and to develop the skills they will need for further research projects.

Many UConn students don’t realize that The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is located on the Storrs campus. The Roper Center is one of the world’s leading archives of social science data, specializing in data from surveys of public opinion.

RARE is designed to encourage faculty and undergraduates to use the resources of the Roper Center in undergraduate research and creative projects. Students will spend 10 hours per week during the spring semester working on a project with a faculty member. Ideally, the RARE partnership will continue past the spring semester, allowing both the faculty mentor and student apprentice to continue the project, potentially leading to a more independent role for the student or a thesis project.

Funding: During the spring semester, student apprentices will receive a $1,500 stipend (paid out as an hourly wage) and faculty mentors will receive a $500 professional development stipend.

RARE Teams: RARE teams consist of a faculty mentor and a student apprentice who apply jointly for the program.  Faculty members are encouraged to recruit student apprentices to work with them on a potential RARE project, and students interested in the program may also approach faculty members to express their interest in a potential project.

Deadline: RARE Applications (both Faculty and Student applications) must be submitted by 4:00 pm on October 28, 2013. Additional program details and a link to the Faculty and Student applications are available online at http://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/rare/.

 

 

• Call for Proposals: Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Research Experience (SHARE) Awards

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The Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Research Experience (SHARE) Award is a research apprenticeship program designed especially for students in the earlier stages of their college careers. A SHARE project serves as an introduction to research in a chosen field and helps students develop the skills they will need for further research projects. SHARE awardees spend 10 hours per week during the Spring semester working on a faculty project.

SHARE provides faculty members with eager assistants for their projects, allowing faculty members to focus on their own research interests while introducing future researchers to the realities of research in their discipline. Examples of SHARE apprentice duties include, but are not limited to, performing library research, assisting with experiments, coding and/or analyzing data, and conducting and/or transcribing interviews.

Funding: During the spring semester, student apprentices will receive a $1,500 stipend (paid out as an hourly wage) and faculty mentors will receive a $500 professional development stipend.

SHARE Teams: SHARE teams consist of a faculty mentor and a student apprentice who apply jointly for the program.  Faculty members are encouraged to recruit student apprentices to work with them on a potential SHARE project, and students interested in the program may also approach faculty members to express their interest in a potential project.

Deadline: SHARE Applications (both the Faculty and Student applications) must be submitted by 4:00 pm on October 28, 2013. Additional program details and a link to the Faculty and Student Applications are available online at: http://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/share/.

 

 

• OUR Hosting Inaugural Fall Frontiers Poster Exhibition

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The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is pleased to announce that the inaugural Fall Frontiers Poster Exhibition will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 from 5:00-7:00pm in the Wilbur Cross South Reading Room.Any undergraduate student may apply to showcase his or her research, scholarship, or creative activity.

The Fall Frontiers event provides another opportunity for UConn’s talented undergraduate researchers to share their work with the university community. Given the growth of student participation in the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition that has been held each spring for the past 16 years, the Office of Undergraduate Research is excited to provide a new option for interested students to share their work during the fall. The increasing number of students who are conducting research supported by OUR award programs such as UConn IDEA, SURF, SHARE, and RARE, marks the need for an additional venue to highlight the work of student researchers and their dedicated faculty mentors.

The brief application and instructions for applying are available on the Fall Frontiers page of the OUR website: http://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/fall-frontiers-in-undergraduate-research/. The deadline to apply for Fall Frontiers is Wednesday, October 2, 2013.

• UConn IDEA Workshops Added for Fall 2013

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The Office of Undergraduate Research will be holding two additional fall workshops giving students the opportunity to learn about the new UConn IDEA Grant program. UConn IDEA (Imagine/Develop/Engage/Apply) Grants are open to students at all campuses in all majors. Funding of up to $4000 is available to support a self-designed artistic product, community service initiative, entrepreneurial venture, innovation, traditional research project, or other creative endeavor.

The additional workshops will be held on Monday, September 30 from 12:15-1:15pm in ROWE 320, Monday, November 4 from 4:00pm-5:00pm in Laurel 110, and Thursday, November 14 from 12:30-1:30pm in ROWE 320.

Applications for the Fall round of the IDEA Grant program are due by 4:00pm on October 15, 2013. Students awarded a grant in the Fall round will plan and develop the project in Spring 2014 and complete the project work in summer 2014. A new cycle of the IDEA program will begin in Spring 2014 with applications due on March 17, 2014.

• Share Your Research Knowledge – Become a Peer Research Ambassador!

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Seeking Peer Research Ambassadors

The Office of Undergraduate Research is looking for students who have engaged in undergraduate research at UConn to serve as Peer Research Ambassadors. Peer Research Ambassadors attend OUR workshops and help represent OUR at events like open houses and career fairs. It is extremely valuable for students looking to get involved in research to hear directly from other students about their experiences.  Peer Ambassadors will also act as an informal advisory board, sharing feedback with OUR administrators on how to improve outreach efforts and programming. Consider sharing your wisdom!

If you would be interested in serving as a Peer Ambassador, please complete the brief application at http://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/peer-research-ambassador-application/ at your earliest convenience. If you have additional questions about this opportunity, please contact Caroline McGuire, Interim Director of OUR, at caroline.mcguire@uconn.edu.

• Applications Open – Spring 2014 Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship Program

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The Department of Energy’s Office of Science /Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) is now accepting applications for its 2014 Spring Term Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program.

The SULI program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories, where selected students participate as interns appointed at participating host labs. They perform research, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers, on projects supporting the DOE mission.

All application materials, including recommendations, must be submitted no later than 5:00pm on Tuesday, October 1, 2013.

Please visit http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/ for additional information on the SULI program as well as eligibility requirements, host lab participation, and access to the online application system. Inquiries/questions should be directed to: http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/contact/.

The SULI program is sponsored and managed by the DOE Office of Science’s, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in collaboration with the DOE laboratories. The Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Kinesiology Student Selected as Undergraduate Research Fellow

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Congratulations to Luke Belval, a senior Kinesiology student, who has been recognized as a 2013 Undergraduate Research Excellence Fellow by the American Physiological Society. The selection is a tremendous achievement as Luke is one of only six students nationwide to be honored with this award. Luke was one of 64 students who received a UConn SURF award to fund undergraduate research. Check out the UConn Today article at http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2013/08/kinesiology-undergraduate-receives-national-research-award/.

U21 Undergraduate Research Conference in Amsterdam

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During a week in July, some of the world’s best undergraduate researchers had an opportunity to get to know each other, learn more about research, and explore one of the world’s great cities.

54 undergraduates from 21 universities around the world divided their time  between exploration of Amsterdam on bicycles and sharing details of their research projects with each other and 14 accompanying faculty and staff members. Junior, Julianne Norton, and May 2013 graduate, Stefanie Walker, were selected to represent UConn as research presenters. Read more …

UConn McNair Scholars Undergraduate Research Program

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Ronald E. McNAir
Ronald E. McNair (1950-1986) was a NASA astronaut and PhD in Physics that perished in the Challenger Shuttle Explosion.

The University of Connecticut’s Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program prepares talented, highly motivated UConn undergraduate students for doctoral studies in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines.

Federal TRIO Programs are educational outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.  As part of UConn’s TRIO programs, the McNair Scholars program is open to low-income, first-generation students, or those from populations underrepresented in STEM graduate fields.

McNair Scholars are paired with faculty mentors for academic enrichment, research, and internships. Students also participate in workshops, seminars, and conferences designed to help them secure admission to doctoral programs and obtain financial resources for graduate study.

The McNair Selection Committee will review applications to determine eligibility as mandated by federal TRIO guidelines.  Eligible candidates will be evaluated using the following criteria:

  • Need for the program
  • Academic preparedness
  • Demonstrated commitment to pursue post-baccalaureate study

Students who wish to apply for admission to the UConn McNair Scholars Program must meet eligibility requirements, have a minimum of 45 credit hours earned by the program start date and submit a completed application package. The Application package includes the following: Eligiblity form, Application form, Statement of Purpose, UConn transcript (unofficial), and two letters of recommendation. The application deadline is Friday, September 13, 2013 at 4:00pm. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

For further information, please contact Dr. Renée Gilberti, McNair Scholars Program Coordinator, at 860.486.5146 or via email to renee.gilberti@uconn.edu.

New Storrs Summer STEM Research Seminar Series for Undergraduates

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The Office of Undergraduate Research and the McNair Scholars Program have joined forces to organize four lunchtime STEM research seminars in June and July. We are grateful to our four speakers for participating in this new summer series.

All seminars are scheduled on Wednesdays, from 12 – 1 PM, in Rowe CUE 320.

This is a brown bag style seminar series. Light refreshments will be served.

June 12
Homer Genuino
5th year PhD student
Chemistry, CLAS  / The Suib Research Group
Nanomaterials and Technologies for Lab-Scale Environmental Applications 

June 19
Professor Barrett Wells
Physics, CLAS / Condensed Matter Physics
The Lowdown on High Temperature Superconductivity  

June 26
Associate Professor Nicholas Leadbeater
Chemistry, CLAS / The Leadbeater Group
It’s Easy Being Green: Clean, Fast, Easy Approaches to Preparative Chemistry    

July 24
Dr. Sara Patterson
Post-doc fellow
Reconstructive Sciences, UCHC / Center for Regenerative Medicine & Skeletal Development
Modeling Human Genetic Cartilage Disorders Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

We intend the seminars to interest and benefit undergraduate students working at the Storrs campus as interns in TIP (Technology Incubator Program) companies or doing undergraduate STEM research with support from the SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fund) Program or McNair Scholars Program.

The seminars are open to all undergraduates working or studying on-campus this summer.

 

Margaret Lamb, PhD                                 Renée Gilberti, PhD
Director                                                        Program Coordinator
Office of Undergraduate Research        McNair Scholars Program