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“For students, even if the proposal is for independent research, it is tremendously useful and necessary to develop a strong working relationship with the faculty advisor. In my experience, putting a good proposal together may take three or more drafts developed with the advisor. Working on proposals together is one of the best faculty-student interactions -- it provides a faculty member a chance to show a student how the field of study “works” – how professionals make arguments for the value of a piece of research, and how you figure out the pragmatic aspects of how to actually do the research. There's so much that can go differently than expected, so anticipating all the processes and outcomes is an integral part of good research. Working on research proposals together is one of the best faculty-student interactions -- it provides a faculty member a chance to show a student how the field of study “works” – how professionals make arguments for the value of a piece of research, and how you figure out the pragmatic aspects of how to actually do the research.” -- Associate Professor John Rick, anthropological sciences, recipient of the 2001 Allan V. Cox Medal for Faculty Excellence Fostering Undergraduate Research |
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| Sponsoring
Student Grant Projects Students may obtain funds to support their research projects by applying for one of the five student grant programs administered by the Undergraduate Research Programs (URP) office. Full details of the URP student grant opportunities are provided on the UAL site. Although students must author their own proposals, we encourage applicants to work closely with faculty mentors on conceptualizing the project and revising the proposal. Such one-on-one work is an invaluable part of the research mentoring process and ultimately increases the likelihood of a student’s success in the research endeavor. All student grant proposals must be accompanied by a letter of support written by a qualifying faculty member. A qualifying faculty member will (1) have the title of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer, or Senior Fellow; (2) have research expertise in a field closely related to the proposal's discipline; and (3) be available to offer advice and support to the student researcher throughout the project's duration. These sponsorship
letters are extremely important to the URP’s advising and grant
review processes, and they allow URP staff to provide vital feedback
to grant recipients to help them avoid pitfalls during their research.
The most helpful sponsorship letters include an honest and critical
evaluation of the student’s written proposal, including: If the project involves human participants, please comment on the steps taken to insure that the research procedures are the least risky procedures that can be performed consistent with sound research design. Furthermore, if the project involves fieldwork away from campus, please assess the student's level of preparation for such work, including methodological training and awareness of safety and ethical considerations. The grant application and decision process is intended to be educational for the students. While URP keeps the specific content of faculty letters confidential, we do blend faculty sponsor suggestions with those of other grant reviewers in giving feedback to students as to whether their projects will be funded, or how they need to revise their research plans to qualify for funding. Candid faculty evaluations are vital to the success of this feedback process |
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“For students, even if the proposal is for independent research, it is tremendously useful and necessary to develop a strong working relationship with the faculty advisor. In my experience, putting a good proposal together may take three or more drafts developed with the advisor. Working on proposals together is one of the best faculty-student interactions -- it provides a faculty member a chance to show a student how the field of study “works” – how professionals make arguments for the value of a piece of research, and how you figure out the pragmatic aspects of how to actually do the research. There's so much that can go differently than expected, so anticipating all the processes and outcomes is an integral part of good research. Working on research proposals together is one of the best faculty-student interactions -- it provides a faculty member a chance to show a student how the field of study “works” – how professionals make arguments for the value of a piece of research, and how you figure out the pragmatic aspects of how to actually do the research.” -- Associate Professor John Rick, anthropological sciences, recipient of the 2001 Allan V. Cox Medal for Faculty Excellence Fostering Undergraduate Research |
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| Sponsoring
Student Grant Projects Students may obtain funds to support their research projects by applying for one of the five student grant programs administered by the Undergraduate Research Programs (URP) office. Full details of the URP student grant opportunities are provided on the UAL site. Although students must author their own proposals, we encourage applicants to work closely with faculty mentors on conceptualizing the project and revising the proposal. Such one-on-one work is an invaluable part of the research mentoring process and ultimately increases the likelihood of a student’s success in the research endeavor. All student grant proposals must be accompanied by a letter of support written by a qualifying faculty member. A qualifying faculty member will (1) have the title of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer, or Senior Fellow; (2) have research expertise in a field closely related to the proposal's discipline; and (3) be available to offer advice and support to the student researcher throughout the project's duration. These sponsorship
letters are extremely important to the URP’s advising and grant
review processes, and they allow URP staff to provide vital feedback
to grant recipients to help them avoid pitfalls during their research.
The most helpful sponsorship letters include an honest and critical
evaluation of the student’s written proposal, including: If the project involves human participants, please comment on the steps taken to insure that the research procedures are the least risky procedures that can be performed consistent with sound research design. Furthermore, if the project involves fieldwork away from campus, please assess the student's level of preparation for such work, including methodological training and awareness of safety and ethical considerations. The grant application and decision process is intended to be educational for the students. While URP keeps the specific content of faculty letters confidential, we do blend faculty sponsor suggestions with those of other grant reviewers in giving feedback to students as to whether their projects will be funded, or how they need to revise their research plans to qualify for funding. Candid faculty evaluations are vital to the success of this feedback process |
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