Provost Undergraduate Student Research Award

Deadlines: Applications will be reviewed twice a year. The deadlines are as follows: 

• Third Friday of October (not available 2024)
• Third Friday of February

Award: up to $1,500

Eligibility: To be eligible you must:

• Be enrolled as an undergraduate student at OU 
• Have an OU GPA of 3.0 or better 
• Have a full-time OU faculty member willing to mentor your project

If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Guidelines

Funding Source: Office of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs

Goal: To expose undergraduate students to the challenges and excitement of research

Summary: The Provost Undergraduate Student Research Award invites applications from undergraduate students enrolled at Oakland University (OU) who are interested in carrying out an independent research project. Selection is based on the academic strengths of the student applicant, the quality of the proposal, the merit of the learning goals, and the recommendation of the mentor.

A vital part of the undergraduate student research is the interaction between the student and the faculty mentor prior to submission of a research proposal and throughout the project period. Although most students work on projects in their major field of interest, this research program allows students the opportunity to explore other fields. It will be up to eligible students to provide sufficient background information to demonstrate that they are qualified to work on a project in the proposed area of interest.

Application Guidelines: Identify a faculty mentor who is a full-time OU faculty. The faculty mentor is responsible for completing the Mentor Reference Letter. There will be a field in the online application  asking for the “Letter Writer Email Address.”  Enter your mentor’s email address and he/she will receive an automatic email asking them to submit a Mentor Reference Letter.

Complete and submit an online application in infoReady REVIEW.

Proposals must be attached to the online application and should include the following elements:

• A title page with the project title, applicant name(s), affiliation (School, College, Department, or other unit) and a project abstract of 200 words or less. The abstract must be jargon-free and written in layman's terms.
• A project description that may not exceed two pages, single-spaced, Arial 11-pt with a 1" margin on all sides. The project description is intended to read like a letter of intent and should address the following:
  • Your interest in the proposed project and how you arrived at it
  • A brief description of your project, including your research question and the (basic) approach and methods you will use to address it
  • Your learning goals for the project (what tools, techniques, skills, or other knowledge or competencies you hope to gain through the project)
  • Timetable for the project (most projects should be sufficiently complex as to take up most of a semester to complete; exceptions should be justified)
• On a separate page, include a bibliography listing any references cited in the project description.
• On a separate page, include a brief bio about yourself and include your current GPA. This is in addition to the two-page project description..
• Fill out the Budget Template, which should be filled out and attached to the application. The budget should not exceed $1,500 for project costs, and should include a justification for those expenses. Costs may include travel costs to complete the project, but not costs for conference travel related to presenting findings.
• Please note that applicants not funded may revise and resubmit their proposals for the next competition.

Mentor Reference Letter Instructions

1. Mentors are expected to review the student's application prior to him/her submitting the application, and to help guide the student to make it understandable to an inter-disciplinary group. 
2. Submit a Mentor Reference Letter that follows the same deadline as the Provost Undergraduate Student Research Awards deadline. The letter should indicate support for the student and their project and justify that recommendation. The letter should also discuss the learning objectives listed in the student’s proposal and indicate work to be done by the mentor to ensure that those learning objectives are met.
3. The mentor will receive an automatic email once the student submits an application in infoReady REVIEW. The mentor will then submit the Mentor Reference Letter through the infoReady REVIEW system.

Regulatory Compliance:

If the proposed project involves the use of human subjects, animals, or hazardous/radioactive materials, approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), and/or Radiation Safety Committee (RSC) must be obtained before work can be initiated or else the applicant must clearly state why this approval is not required. The student and mentor should submit compliance applications only once they have received notice that their project has been funded.  Confirmation of compliance approval is required before funding is received.  For assistance, contact the Director of Regulatory Support in the Research Office at (248) 370-2762.

Application Deadline: Third Friday of October (not available 2024)
Award Announcement: 2nd week in December
Final report due: 90 days

Application Deadline: Third Friday of February
Award Announcement: 2nd week in April
Final report due: 90 days

A final report of the project must be submitted within one year of the funding date. It should not exceed five pages and should summarize the outcomes and results of the project. Any publications or conference presentations that resulted from the project should be listed in the report. Please upload the report in infoReady REVIEW.

Note: Equipment purchased with grant money reverts back to the unit/department at the end of the research project period.