During the Fall and Spring semesters, supply-and-expense grants of up to $150 per student are awarded to undergraduates engaged in research. Students enrolled in UNIV-401/402 may apply for up to $250 per semester. Reimbursement for Summer and Winter Session research expenses may be applied for either retroactively or in advance during the fall or spring semesters. Uses include chemicals, experimental animals and care, photocopying, transportation to libraries and to professional meetings, film and developing, expendable equipment, etc. Typing/word processing of a thesis or paper is not covered. All receipts must be submitted to the UR office by May 30. Application deadlines are October 1 and February 23. Application forms are available here.
The Office of Women's Affairs (303 Hullihen Hall, 831-8063) administers an incentive fund to encourage all undergraduate and graduate students to present scholarly papers and participate in panel discussions and other activities dealing with women's issues, and to support women student's participation in professional organizations. The Fund will award up to $100 with the condition that the student's major department match the award. The student must be nominated by a faculty member on a form obtained from the Office of Women's Affairs. There are two travel proposal deadlines November 1 and April 1. Awards may be made retroactively. If a student submits a paper and has not had it accepted at the time of the proposal deadline, a tentative award may be made, pending confirmation within six weeks. Funds are available for 20-22 students each year. Students and faculty may inquire for further information at the Office of Women's Affairs.
Although most undergraduate researchers work for credit during the academic year, some receive pay, either as part of their financial aid package or from a faculty sponsor’s research grant.
Students who have applied to the University's Financial Aid office and been determined eligible for need-based financial aid may take the aid in the form of a work-study grant and earn their work-study money by working as a research assistant.
Faculty research is often contracted with a company or supported by a governmental granting agency; the research grant may provide salaries for undergraduate assistants on the project. Such arrangements permit students to be employed as members of research teams. UDRF and General Research Grants may include stipends for undergraduate research assistants. Each year the College of Marine Studies recruits superior undergraduate students from the sciences or engineering to assist in faculty research projects. Opportunities are also available in the graduate School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy.
Each spring College Deans nominate undergraduate students to assist faculty with research and/or teaching duties. The Financial Aid Office awards the 50 selected undergraduates $300 stipends for the academic year. Preference is usually given to seniors and juniors. Application should be made to the Dean of the college in which the student is enrolled.
Juniors who are serving as research assistants at the Center for Composite Materials are invited to apply for fellowships with an award of $1500 each. CCM Senior Research Fellows must complete six (6) credits of senior thesis (UNIV-401-10 and UNIV-402-10), submit a thesis which will also be published as a CCM Report, and give an oral presentation and defense to the appropriate affiliate faculty members. Students meeting the grade index requirements for the Degree with Distinction may use this fellowship to pursue the DWD or HDWD. For information, contact Dr. John W. Gillespie, Jr., Center for Composite Materials (831-8149).
These $600 awards are given annually to about four senior Honors Degree with Distinction candidates, based on their academic accomplishments (3.4 cum required), to permit the students' full-time Winter Session research for the senior thesis. Application forms are available at the Undergraduate Research office. Deadline is November 1.
These $600 awards are given annually to about four senior thesis candidates to permit full-time Winter Session research and writing for the senior thesis. Application forms are available at the Undergraduate Research office. Deadline is November 1.
For students in any field, several fellowships of up to $1,500 will be awarded by the Undergraduate Research Program for the summer. These awards are intended to provide partial support for undergraduate researchers who would like to work on their projects during the summer. Applications are due May 1 and are available at the UR office.
NOTE Students who graduate in June are not normally eligible to receive a fellowship for the summer following their graduation.
The purpose of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program is to prepare and empower low-income, first generation college students and underrepresented students (those of African American, Latino, and Native American descent) for doctoral study so that they complete a baccalaureate degree, enroll in graduate school, and attain a doctoral degree. Undergraduate research is an essential part of the McNair Scholar experience. Scholars receive a stipend along with housing and meals, enabling them to work for ten weeks during the summer with a UD faculty mentor. Interested students should visit the program web site http://www.udel.edu/mcnair and contact the McNair Scholars Program, in the office, 047 Memorial Hall.
Summer Scholar Programs require a full-time, ten-week commitment to research during the summer, three credits’ worth of research during the following academic year, and a public presentation of research work in progress. The Scholar Programs in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, CHEP, Science and Engineering, and Life Science Scholars are described in the pages linked to this section. Each Scholar stipend is $3000 with an additional $500 provided as a housing allowance; additional housing funds are provided by some of the Scholar Programs.
This program supports undergraduate research in the biomedical area. Junior majors in the medically-related sciences (primarily chemistry, biochemistry, and biology) may apply for summer stipends of $3,000. In addition, each scholar will receive a summer housing allowance of $500. The summer research time commitment is 10 weeks, and research is continued during the following academic year. For information contact Lisa Robinson in the Chemistry Department (831-3614). Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. Interested students may apply via the Scholars Application System. Deadline is March 1.
Up to four Peter White research fellowships in Physical Therapy will be awarded in 2007. The stipend is $3,000; the summer research time commitment is 10 weeks, and research is continued during the following academic year. In addition, each scholar will receive a summer housing allowance of $500. For advisement contact Dr. John Scholz in the Physical Therapy Department (831-6281). Applications should be submitted to Mrs. Cyndi Haley at 301 McKinly Laboratory. Application deadline is March 1.
To juniors in Biology, up to 10 Charles Peter White research fellowships will be awarded in 2007. The Fellowship is for one year and supports biomedically-related research. The stipend is $3,000. In addition, each scholar will receive a summer housing allowance of $500. For advisement concerning the Peter White fellowships, see Dr. David Usher. Students should identify a faculty sponsor during the fall semester. Interested students may apply via the Scholars Application System. Deadline is March 1.
This research effort is initiated in the context of planned Centre for Computational Finance and Data Mining (CCD) at the University of Delaware in collaboration between the College of Engineering and the School of Business and Economics. Freshman, sophomores and juniors may apply for summer stipends of $2500 for an interdisciplinary study of Financial Engineering and Computational Finance. Summer research commitment is ten weeks. Contact Dr. Guang Gao, Electrical and Computer Engineering (831-8218).
For undergraduates in all fields, Phi Kappa Phi sponsors an annual research essay competition with up to two annual prizes of $500 each. Criteria are quality of research and quality of the writing. Research procedure, results and significance are to be described in an essay written for the general educated public. For competition rules and further information, contact the Undergraduate Research Office.
A number of campus honor societies grant cash awards for undergraduate research. For example, Beta Alpha Psi (Accounting) has awarded a prize of $25 for the best research paper as judged by a committee of faculty. Women's Studies awards $100 annually for the best undergraduate research on women. Inquiries should be made with individual department chairs or program directors. A list of departmental and college research awards is available in the Undergraduate Research Reading Room.