The Office of the Vice President for Research has set Oct. 3 as the application deadline for the 2011 Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards, a program that gives undergrads a chance to conduct scientific inquiries on topics of their choosing.

The program, now in its fifth year, funded 46 research projects by undergrads last fall.

“These awards offer undergraduates an opportunity to interact with faculty at a level usually reserved for graduate students. These experiences can provide a real leg up in students’ professional or academic careers,” said Dr. Bruce Gnade, vice president for research.

The awards pay $500 to students and $300 to faculty members to cover project-related expenses. The awards are made on a competitive basis, and the research can be in any field as long as the research focuses on a serious, credible topic and under faculty supervision.

A chemistry major won first place last year for her project to separate gases on the molecular level according to size. Second place went to student  in the School of Economics, Political and Policy Sciences for his project on determining financial risk preferences.

For the second year, the application process is completely electronic, using the campus’ Research Explorer system. Students can fill out the application form online and forward it to their faculty advisers for approval. The adviser can either send the finalized application to the Office of Research for consideration or back to the student for revisions.

The applications will be reviewed by senior faculty members and evaluated based on the research topic, proposal quality and faculty adviser commitment.

In the spring semester, successful research awardees can enter a poster session for an opportunity to win additional money.

The Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards were established in 2007 with 21 students receiving awards. Last year, there were 46 award winners.

This year’s award applications are due by 11 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3.
For more information or to apply, see the Office of the Vice President home page.