UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
COUNCIL
DESCRIPTION OF
STUDENT PROGRAMS
I. INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the
Undergraduate Research Council (URC) is to encourage research and creative
activity by UNK students. Several support mechanisms have been developed with
this purpose in mind, and the student programs are described in the next
section. The URC is particularly
interested in encouraging and supporting student-faculty collaboration in the
research enterprise.
All proposals must adhere to the URC
guidelines described in this document.
Proposals not meeting the detailed guidelines, including the budget limitations,
will not be given consideration by the Undergraduate Research Council. It is
absolutely necessary that proposals be submitted by the published deadline.
Students and mentors are encouraged to discuss the proposal with the Director
of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity before submission.
Student grant recipients are
expected to participate in UNK Student Research Day, held in the spring. SRD
highlights student research and provides an opportunity for students to enhance
their presentation skills and prepare for professional meetings. It is also an
opportunity for the academic community to recognize student researchers and
their Faculty Mentors.
II. STUDENT SUPPORT PROGRAMS
The URC’s
student programs are intended to support student-originated and
student-conducted research and creative activity. Faculty serve as mentors on
these projects and are responsible for the financial components. Students must
be enrolled at UNK during the grant award period. The URC is interested in
promoting activities that encourage student-faculty collaboration, involve
several students working on a single problem, or are interdisciplinary in
nature.
A. Undergraduate Student Research
Awards are
competitively selected. A request for up to $400 may be made for operating
expenses, supplies and travel. Partial support is expected from the department
and/or student participant(s). Students may also receive partial support to
present their results at national or regional meetings through the Student
Conference Presentation Program.
B. Summer Student Research Program (SSRP)
The SSRP is a program to develop
scholarly skills and knowledge among undergraduate students. Participating students work one-on-one with
full-time faculty to develop and implement original research and creative
projects during the summer, and they gain broad understanding of scholarship
across the disciplines through group activities. These activities include a research methods
seminar, weekly meetings, field trips, a fall symposium to present papers, and
presentations at national academic conferences.
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled full time in the Spring and
Fall of 2013, not graduate before December 2013, and be eligible to work in the
United States.
Information
Sessions: October 4 & 5, Room 2147-Founders
Hall, 2:30 – 3:15 p.m.
Application
Deadline: November 9. Submission details to follow.
For more
information visit http://www.unk.edu/acad/gradstudies/ssrp/home.html
C. Student Conference Presentation
Funds are
provided to assist undergraduate student presentations of research and creative
projects at scholarly meetings. Partial funding will be provided up to a
maximum of $300, with the remainder expected
of the student or department. Documentation must be provided that the
project has been accepted for presentation and the student is
presenting. Students supported through this program are also expected to
participate in the UNK Student Research Day held during the spring semester.
Support for multi-authored presentations may be reduced accordingly or limited
to the first author.
The
application for travel funds must include:
1. The abstract or paper submitted for
consideration as a presentation.
2. The acceptance letter for the presentation.
3. A description of the student’s role in the presentation (paper
presentation or poster).
Please submit
cover page form to the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity
– Founders Hall 2111 – at least one month prior to the conference.
Students may
also apply for Travel support through SET fee funds administered by the Senior
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (FNDH 1000). Contact SVCAA’s office for details about
request.
III. STUDENT RESEARCH DAY
The UNK
Student Research Day is designed to give students the opportunity to present
the results of collaborative research and creative activity conducted with
faculty members. Student research
accomplishments and the important role faculty play as mentors will be
highlighted. Results from research and creative activity from all disciplines
represented in the UNK academic community are encouraged, and participation may
be in poster or oral presentation format.
Any
undergraduate UNK student engaged in collaborative or independent research is
eligible to participate. Students need not have received funding from a grant
program to participate in the UNK Student Research Day. Student awards and the
Faculty Mentor awards are announced at the SRD Reception.
Application
forms are available from the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative
Activity and on our website, unk.edu/ugr.
UNK Student Research Day is scheduled for April 4, 2013. Application for
participation must be submitted by February 21, 2013.