GRANTS

Spring 2013 UConn IDEA Awards

The Office of Undergraduate Research announces the recipients of UConn IDEA Grants in the inaugural competition conducted in Spring 2013. This is first round of the new award program, which provides funding of up to $4,000 for entrepreneurial ventures, community service, traditional research, or other creative endeavors. Proposals for the UConn IDEA Grants represented a variety of disciplines, ranging from fine arts to physics. Congratulations to the eleven undergraduates who have been offered UConn IDEA Grants!

Read about the eleven UConn IDEA Grant projects here.

Thank you to the faculty members who have agreed to supervise the UConn IDEA Grant students in their projects. Thank you as well to the faculty members and program directors who served as the initial UConn IDEA Grant Proposal Review Committee!

Office of Undergraduate Research
June 7, 2013

2013 Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF) Awards

SURF is the biggest undergraduate research competition administered by the UConn Office of Undergraduate Research. I am delighted to announce that 70 UConn undergraduates have been offered SURF awards for this summer. Members of the faculty review committee commented on how strong the field of 91 applications was this year. SURF applications require research proposals of high quality.

Congratulations to the SURF awardees! Your academic achievements, creativity, and enterprise were ever so evident in your applications. Have fun with your research this summer!

Thank you to the faculty members who supported SURF applicants: mentors, letter writers, and faculty review committee members! SURF represents a collaborative effort between students and faculty. SURF would not exist without the support and participation of faculty members!

Thank you, too, to SURF supporters in the UConn community. Deans of UConn schools and colleges and the Provost’s Office helped to fund the SURF competition this year. Alumni, parents, and friends of UConn also helped fund SURF awards. Our community quilt of funding ensures that SURF supports a diverse array of UConn undergraduate research!

Once again, congratulations to those students offered 2013 SURF awards.

Margaret Lamb, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research

 

 

 

UCONN IDEA Grants – A New Opportunity for UCONN Undergraduates

The UConn IDEA Grant Program is a new competitive opportunity for undergraduates at the University of Connecticut. UConn students at all campuses and in all majors can apply for a UConn IDEA Grant of up to $4,000 to fund self-designed work on a topic, project, problem, artistic product or performance, or other entrepreneurial or creative idea of choice. The work should be personally meaningful, relevant, and engaging. The work does not need to be tied to a student’s major or minor, but it should be guided by a student’s academic goals and future plans. Students may apply individually or as part of a small group for this new undergraduate opportunity for creativity, innovation, original research, and service.

Read about UConn IDEA Grants in UConn Today and in the Hartford Business Journal!

In the pilot phase of the program, the Office of Undergraduate Research will make 10-15 awards in Spring 2013 and 20-25 awards in Fall 2013. (April 1st: Yippee! We’ve received 24 applications for UConn IDEA Grants! Can’t wait to read the proposals!) The initial UConn IDEA Grant projects will be planned in Summer 2013 with work done in Fall 2013. The second competition for UConn IDEA Grants will take place in Fall 2013. Those who are chosen for awards in Fall 2013 will plan their projects in Spring 2014 and then do their work in Summer 2014.

The UConn IDEA Grant Program has been designed to be flexible enough to support very diverse types of projects. During the pilot phase of the program (spring 2013 and fall 2013) we want program guidelines and best practices to be developed and refined through discussions with students, supervisors and mentors, advisors, and other members of the UConn community. We want UConn IDEA Grants to become a program that is valued by our whole UConn community for the creativity it encourages and the opportunities it provides undergraduates to produce great work. Your participation in making this new program a success will be most welcomed and appreciated.

Have a great idea and develop it as a UConn IDEA!

Margaret Lamb
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
April 2013

March 2013 Application Deadlines!

Don’t wait to check out summer research opportunities. Many research programs and internships want to finalize their candidates early in the spring. Look for the acronym “REU” or Research Opportunity for Undergraduates when searching for possible summer opportunities. Some offer awards of $4000 to $5000, and free room and board for the summer!
Remember – summer positions can have a variety of different names – “fellowship,” “internship,” “co-op,” or “associate.” Keep your options open in order to find the best experience for you!

March 1 Deadlines:

  • Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program (MAOP) Undergraduate Summer Research Internship – Virginia Tech – Wide variety of academic disciplines; $3000 stipend, free room and board.
  • Summer Research Internships: University of Tokyo – Six-week research-centered program for students interested in natural science areas. Housing provided; stipend to cover some travel costs and personal expenses.
  • Center on Budget and Policy – Washington, DC – Offers internships working on a variety of public policy issues.
  • Research Fellowships in Oceanography – University of Rhode Island – Primarily for rising seniors in science, math and engineering programs.
  • Science News Writing Internship/Science Magazine –Internship for news writers; applications being accepted for 6-month period (July-Dec.)
  • Whale Research Internships – Gloucester, MA – Biology/Zoology students – summer internship on commercial whale watch vessels collecting, organizing and analyzing data.
  • Maryland Sea Grant Program – REU – Opportunity to conduct marine research on Chesapeake Bay. Priority given to rising seniors
  • Washington Internship on Social Insurance – Targets upper division students studying public policy, economics, political science or related field; 12 week internship with $3500 stipend
  • National Institutes of Health – Internship in Biomedical Research – Work side by side with researchers in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – Intended for advanced undergraduates studying the history of electrical technology and computing

March 5 Deadline:

  • Hertog Global Strategy Initiative (HGSI) at Columbia University-2013 Seminar – Topic “The History of Climate Change and the Future of Global Governance”. Limited financial is available to cover tuition costs.

March 8 Deadline:

March 15 Deadlines:

March 22 Deadline:

  • Behavior Sciences Student Fellowship – Epilepsy Foundation of America – Award amount up to $3,000.

February 2013 Application Deadlines!

Intersession and early in the spring semester is the perfect time to make your plans for next summer. Many research programs and other relevant opportunities set deadlines in January and February. The people who run summer programs want to make sure that they have time to choose their candidates and then give everyone time to plan the practicalities.

So … now is the time to get your applications ready!

Many summer programs use the acronym “REU” or Research Opportunity for Undergraduates. These opportunities may provide a summer stipend of $4000 to $5000, and free room and board for the summer!

Other summer positions can have a variety of different names – “fellowship,” “internship,” “co-op,” or “associate.” Look at the full variety of titles and find the experience that will be super for you!

Feb. 1 deadline:

Feb. 5 deadline:

Feb. 8 deadline:

  • AP-Google Scholarship – $20,000 scholarship award, open to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors interested in digital journalism.
  • Environmental studies internship, US EPA,Office of Children’s Health Protection & Environmental Education, Washington, DC.

Feb. 9 deadline:

Feb. 11 deadline:

  • American Heart Association, Founders Affiliate Undergraduate Student Summer Fellowship Program, based in affiliate labs (including at UCHC) in NY, CT, and MA.
  • Tibor T. Polgar Fellowship Program, NY Department of Environmental Conservation. Research on the Hudson River.

Feb. 13 deadline:

Feb. 15 deadline:

  • Biomedical research, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program.
  • American Bar Association, Summer Research Diversity Fellowships in Law and Social Science for Undergraduate Students. Four fellowships, based in Chicago.
  • Nantucket Maria Mitchell Observatory REU for astronomy and astrophysics students.
  • Northwestern UniversityMaterials Research Science & Engineering REU, Evanston, IL.
  • Oklahoma State REU in the Biological Basis of Human and Animal Behavior.
  • Summer Student & Minority Fellowships, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

Feb. 22 deadline:

Feb. 28 deadline: