STUDENT PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
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. Proposals MUST
be discussed with a URC representative prior to submission.
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.
Submissions may
be made electronically or in hard copy.
See detailed instructions below.
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.
Students who will not graduate before December 2012 are eligible, and
participants receive a stipend.
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.
D. General
Instructions
In
preparing a proposal, applicants should realize that the URC is
multidisciplinary and that reviewers may not have expertise in the applicant’s
field. Please avoid jargon whenever possible, and explain clearly any technical
terms and procedures that are critical to the proposal.
All
information requested must be provided in the format specified. For this reason
ALL STUDENTS MUST MEET WITH THEIR
FACULTY MENTOR TO THOROUGHLY REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE PROPOSAL. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to
contact the Director of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity to
review the proposal before submission. Please call 865.8894 to schedule a time.
This should be scheduled before the program deadline in order to provide
adequate time for any necessary revisions to the proposal.
Proposals
not adhering to the published URC guidelines will not be considered for funding.
E. Student
Proposals
The
URC funds research and creative activity proposals from undergraduate students. Individual students may receive no more
than one research award and one travel grant per fiscal year. Requests for
materials, supplies and other expenses related to the conduct of the proposed
activity will be considered.
Proposals
must include the URC Cover Page, Abstract, Budget Section page, and Project
Description. Accompanying the proposal should be the required Faculty
Mentor Statement, which should include:
1.
Statement indicating how student project relates
to on-going work of mentor or whether the student initiated the project.
2.
Analysis of viability of project objectives and
methodology.
3.
Verification of budget – needs and costs.
4.
Description of mentor support being provided.
5.
Description of student’s background and
preparation for project.
The
Project Description section of the proposal should not exceed five
double-spaced pages (please number) and must include:
1. Statement
of purpose and objectives (student should include a brief personal statement
describing how he/she became interested in the project)
2. Methodology and work plan
3. Description of the activities and expected
results/product
4. Timetable for completion of the project
5. Itemized budget and justification of funds
requested (use budget page and attach narrative justification/explanation of
budget request)
Students
may also request, through separate application, partial support for
travel to professional meetings for the purpose of presenting the results of
research or creative activity. A maximum of $300 will be provided. See “Student Conference Presentation” for
program description and details.
F. Submission of Proposals
While this packet includes the URC proposal
form, you may use the electronic forms available on the URCA web site. (http://www.unk.edu/acad/gradstudies/research/urc/index.php?id=2996).
This form includes the cover sheet, mentor statement, budget, and budget
narrative. In a separate document the student should prepare the 150 word
abstract and the full project description according to the guidelines above.
Upon completion of the proposal, the student
should ask their mentor to insert a Mentor Statement (with signature) and then
get signatures from their department chair, and dean. The proposal should
then be delivered to the URCA Office (2111 Founders Hall), by 4pm on the
deadline date.
G. Checklist
-
Cover Page
-
Abstract
-
Faculty Mentor
Statement
-
Project Description
-
Budget Section
-
Signatures