This past August Hurricane Irene devastated local Vermont landscapes, economies and communities. Now, the Office of Undergraduate Research is offering students the opportunity to learn more about the storm's destructive impact on the state, as well as how best to implement the recovery process.
Starting this spring, students may apply for an Irene Undergraduate-Faculty Research Award. These awards are designed to provide funding for students (working with faculty) to conduct research on the impacts of Tropical Storm Irene on the northeast region of the U.S. The intention is to promote helpful and meaningful research that is centered on addressing the social, planning, scientific, engineering or other needs and concerns of specific communities and/or the states.
The Irene Research Grant Program is a collaborative effort of the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Center for Research on Vermont, and the Community-University Partnerships and Service Learning Program. The selection committee will consider applications for single students working with faculty mentors for up to $2000, or small groups of students working with a faculty mentor for up to $4000. Funds may be used during the Spring 2012 semester to reimburse research costs such as travel expenses, laboratory fees, books, and equipment, but may not be used for student wages/stipends, or to fund class assignments. The deadlines will be announced just after the new year. More information is available on the Office of Undergraduate Research website (www.uvm.edu/ugresearch).
In addition to the Irene Undergraduate-Faculty Research Award, there are several other student grant opportunities with deadlines coming up this spring:
URECA!
The Undergraduate Research Endeavors Competitve Awards (URECA!), awarded in the spring of each year provides students with $4000 towards their own research (up to $3000 for operating costs and a $1000 prize awarded directly to the student). THE DEADLINE FOR SPRING 2012 URECA! IS: MARCH 2, 2012
PR&CE
In 2011, the Office of Undergraduate Research implemented the first Public Research & Civic Endeavors (PR&CE) award for students to cover costs incurred by taking an unpaid (or underpaid) internship, pursuing unique community-based projects, or otherwise applying their academic knowledge to real-world situations. The award is for $4000. THE DEADLINE IS APRIL 2, 2012.
Summer Internship Awards
What could be better than spending the summer doing your own research and getting paid for it? The Summer Internships provide $3500 in wages and $1500 for research costs for students to perform research over the summer months. THE DEADLINE FOR SUMMER 2012 SUMMER INTERNSHIPS IS: APRIL 6, 2012
Upcoming Conferences
Dissemination of new and recent research is the hallmark of a complete scholar. In order for knowledge to expand it must be made public. The Office of Undergraduate Research strongly encourage students to participate in local, regional, and national conferences and seek to publish their work. A few conferences that promote recent work done by students include: