You have a question. You have an idea. You have a faculty mentor. You are ready to start your undergraduate research career! But what you may not have is the finances to make it happen.

Center for Undergraduate Excellence wants to help!

Undergraduate students at Chapman University have the opportunity to make their creative projects and scholarly inquiry a reality by applying for the Center for UG Excellence’s Undergraduate Student Scholarly & Creative Grant Program.

Lack of funds doesn’t have to be a reason to put your research on hold. The Center for UG Excellence awards grants to exceptional student researchers with the support of a full-time Chapman University faculty member. Students are eligible to receive one grant per year of up to $1,000! Grants can be used to fund:

  • The purchase of equipment, materials, or supplies directly related to the project.
  • Facility rental, copyright fees, and other costs associated with creative productions.
  • Non-material expenses directly related to the project such as test subject remuneration, license fees, or external lab analyses.
  • Travel expenses required to conduct the creative activity or scholarly research, such as working in an archive or collecting field data
  • A number of other purposes pertaining your research!

Past grant recipient, Jessica Bocinksi (’18), notes that her grant was transformative for her research in Art History. Using the funds from Center for UG Excellence, Jessica saw her research come to life in the form of a bound distributable pamphelt. She says, “It was really cool to have my research published in a book people could take with them.” Check out Jessica’s incredible work here.

Of her grant application experience, student researcher Haley Miller (Environmental Science and Policy, ’18) told the Center for UG Excellence team, “I thought that the OURCA (Center for UG Excellence) grant application was very accessible, and receiving the grant helped push my research forward, as I was able to use it towards supplies

I need to transfer my gas samples from the field into the laboratory.”

The Center for UG Excellence Grant Proposals are due April 13, 2018 by 4 PM, so now is the time to assemble your application! Here’s what we need from you:

  1. A written proposal outlining your research or creative project, not to exceed 3 pages in length authored by YOU the student!
  2. One letter of support from your faculty mentor
  3. A detailed budget worksheet, outlining the how you plan to use your OURCA grant
  4. A copy of the proposal and Report of Use for your last Chapman Scholarly/Creative Grant received if you have received one in the past.

For more details on the application process visit Center for UG Excellence’s page on the Chapman University website. 

Need some tips or advice for finalizing your proposal? The Student Scholar Ambassadors are at your service. Feel free to email these past grant recipients with any questions you may have!

As always, don’t forget to follow and like Center for UG Excellence on Facebook for updates on all the exciting events and opportunities for undergraduate researchers!