Application for the 2008-09 University Undergraduate Research Scholars Program
Junior students who are currently involved or are interested in performing an independent research project and have a cumulative GPR of at least 3.0 are invited to apply to participate in the 2008-09 Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. This program enables capable undergraduates to actively participate in independent research projects, encourages them to communicate their research to the scholarly community, increases their competitiveness for national fellowships, and prepares them for graduate studies. Students who successfully complete the Undergraduate Research Scholar program will be recognized by the Office of Undergraduate Research at an awards ceremony in the spring of 2009.
The application consists of two parts, the cover sheet and the proposal itself. An electronic copy of your proposal (PDF or MSWord) and an electronic copy of the cover sheet (with or without signatures) must be submitted to ugr@tamu.edu by 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 11, 2008. (NOTE: To fill out the PDF cover sheet, you will need a version of Adobe Acrobat that allows you to write. Adobe Acrobat Reader does not allow you to write. Also, the proposal attachment should be either PDF or MSWord. Zip files are blocked from the ugr e-mail account.)
In addition, the cover sheet with original signatures along with a hard copy of the proposal must be received by the Office of Undergraduate Research (318B Jack K. Williams Administration Building) no later than 5:00 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2008.
Applications will be evaluated by the Office of Undergraduate Research. The 2008-09 Scholars class will be announced by letter and e-mail before the end of the Spring 2008 semester.
Part I: Coversheet
The cover sheet asks for general information about the proposed research and information about the prospective fellow and faculty advisor. You should identify the department in which you will register for six hours of 484, 485, 491, or 497. The cover sheet must bear the signatures of the student applicant, faculty advisor, department head of the student’s major, and department head of faculty advisor (if different).
Advisor’s Signature: Your advisor must sign, acknowledging that s/he has read and approved your proposal and agrees to serve as your Faculty Advisor for the duration of the project.
Part II: Proposal
The proposal includes a description of the research the student intends to undertake, its importance, and a proposed timeline showing the plan for completing the project by mid-April of 2009.
The proposal, which should be about 1000 words in length, should include the following parts:
Summary – Briefly summarize the research you propose to do, how you plan to do it, and why it is important.
Introduction – Lay out the problem to be studied and explain its importance. Review the previous relevant research in the field, documented with appropriate citations. Show the relationship between the previous research and the proposed project.
Project Description – State the hypothesis that your research aims to test. Give the specific objectives of your research project that are derived from your hypothesis.
Methodology and Timeline – Describe your research design and procedures and give a rationale for their use. Describe the resources you will utilize to accomplish your goals. Give a timeline that demonstrates how you will complete a polished thesis by mid-April of 2009.
Qualifications of Applicant – Describe any courses, previous research experience, or volunteer or work experience that qualifies you for this research. What additional skills do you bring to bear on the project?
References – Present bibliographical references in the form consistent with the professional journals in your field.
Examples of student proposals for the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program may be found at http://ugr.tamu.edu/scholars .
Parts of this document were adapted from the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program application.
