Funding

Students from all disciplines are eligible. Sophomore, juniors and seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.25 are encouraged to submit a proposal. Students must be enrolled for at least 12 hours during the semester in which the project is funded.

The award stipend will be $3,000 (subject to tax withholding) for the Fall or Spring semesters, and $5,000 (subject to tax withholding) for the Summer semester.

The project could involve research, design, development, field study, creative work or performance. The project should require about 150 hours of the student's time (i.e., 10 hours per week) in one semester, and should be appropriate in scope such that the student can produce a research or other scholarly product (e.g. presentation, publication, exhibit, or performance) at the end of the award period. Ideally, the project should be initiated by the student, but faculty members may approach students about collaborative projects. If the project is related to faculty research or other scholarship, the project should require that the student assume increasing responsibilities over the course of the semester. The award is not intended to support student laboratory assistants; it is intended that award recipients will be acting as principal investigator of an authentic research project under mentorship of their faculty advisor.

Students requesting personal support as part of the proposal budget must be eligible for campus employment.

A University committee composed of a representative from each college and appointed by the Provost will review the proposals and select the projects that will be funded under this program.

Student proposals should be written with minimal use of jargon. Faculty members should not co-author or "copropose." Mentors may provide editorial and content assistance for student proposals, but proposals must be primarily the work of student applicants. Mentors will have the opportunity for input and explanation in a separate letter of support. The project proposal should not exceed five single-spaced pages. The cover page, appendices and attachments are not included in this length restriction. A letter of support from the faculty mentor is to be submitted separately from the student application. The following format should be followed:

1. Cover Page. The title of the project, the student's name, UIN, address, email address, phone number, and major should be centered on the page. The name, department, email address, and phone number of the faculty mentor should also be listed. The date should be centered at the bottom of the page.
    
2. Project Description. Provide a clear, exact statement of what the project is and why it is important. How will the project contribute to a particular field of study? Proposals should be written with a minimum of jargon, and such that they can be evaluated by faculty from other disciplines.
    
3. Methodology. Provide a description of how the research question/problem is to be investigated. What steps are involved? What sources will be used? Where relevant, please include a bibliography.
    
4. Outcomes. Provide a description of the anticipated outcomes associated with the project, e.g., a conference paper, report, journal article, exhibition, performance, or Senior Honors Thesis.
    
5. Budget. Include a short paragraph on how the project funds will be used. The student should be aware of the total cost of the project in broad terms: How much support is given by his or her department through the use of facilities? What part of the expenses will be covered by the award? How will the $3,000 award be spent? Provide justification if the student will use the funds for personal maintenance while working on the project. Up to $500 of the award may be used for faculty mentor stipend; if this is the case, it should be stated clearly in the proposal budget.
    
6. Independence of the Project. Present evidence that independent research or scholarship is involved. The project should not be lab assistant work, course work for a faculty member, or simple technical tasks. If the work involves an aspect of a larger faculty project, the faculty member should explain the student's role in her/his letter of support.

   Budget for Undergraduate Research Grant

   Item	Price	# of Items	Total Price
   Gift cards	$20	12	$240
   Mentor Stipend	$500	2	$500
   Vitalograph Filters	$79	2	$158
   Poster	$50	2	$100
   Student Stipend	$2000	1	$2000
   		Grand total:	$3000

    

7. Appendices, Attachments. If appropriate, the student should include copies of research materials such as questionnaires and other forms as appropriate. Personal resumes should not be included. If the applicant has received prior support from the Perry Honors College Research and Creativity Fellowship/Grant programs, a one-page report summarizing accomplishments from the previous project must be included as an appendix.

   Please email electronic proposals (in .docx, or .pdf format) to Dr. Eddie Hill, Director of Undergraduate Research, at HCUndergradResearch@vaftizo.com. Email from your @vaftizo.com account with subject line "_Undergraduate Research Grant Application_" to ensure delivery. Proposals emailed without this subject line may not be reviewed. See box below for semester codes.
    

8. Faculty Mentor's Letter of Support. The faculty mentor letter of support should be sent by the faculty mentor directly to Dr. Eddie Hill at HCUndergradResearch@vaftizo.com. The letter of support should not be included in the application package submitted by the student. This letter should include: A) the mentor's view of the scope and nature of the project; B) time available for the mentor to work with the student; C) the mentor's familiarity with the student and her or his work; D) a clear statement of the mentor's involvement in the project. The mentor should help plan the project, assist the student with the proposal, and actively participate in the project's implementation. Please include the student's last name and "Faculty Support Letter_" in the subject line. See box below for semester codes.
    

SEMESTER CODES FOR EMAIL SUBJECT LINES

For example, if your name is John Smith and you're applying for Spring 2023,

• The subject line for your application would be: "Smith_Undergraduate Research Grant Application_Sp23"
• The subject line for your faculty mentor's letter of support would be: "Smith_Faculty Support Letter_Sp23"
• The subject line for your final report would be: "Smith_Undergraduate Research Grant Final Report_Sp23"

Proposals emailed without these subject lines may not be reviewed.

Final Report: The comprehensive final report should be no more than 12 pages at minimum 1.5 spacing, including tables and figures. Follow the publication and manuscript formatting guidelines for your field. An electronic copy of the final report is to be submitted by email from your @vaftizo.com account to Dr. Eddie Hill at HCUndergradResearch@vaftizo.com. Use the subject line "_Undergraduate Research Grant Final Report_." A letter of endorsement by the faculty mentor is to be included (does not count toward page limit).

Reports are due by the first week of July. All final reports will be reviewed for potential publication in the ODU Undergraduate Research Journal. Students are encouraged to contact Dr. Eddie Hill (HCUndergradResearch@vaftizo.com) for further information on and assistance with publishing their work.

Questions about this or any other Undergraduate Research Program initiative can be sent to Dr. Eddie Hill, Director, Undergraduate Research, HCUndergradResearch@vaftizo.com.