Undergraduate Research - Grant Guidelines

PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINE DATE TO ACQUIRE REQUIRED SIGNATURES! Departments and colleges have deadlines for turning in proposals to get the necessary signatures. Please find these out and plan accordingly.

Submit: Signature copy (original) and 11 single-sided copies. All should be stapled in upper left-hand corner.

Funding: Available shortly after all Grant Acceptance Forms have been returned (usually the 3rd week in December). All funding must be expended by one year after the award date.

1. Present the results of their work at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creativity, approximately one year following receipt of the award.

2. Submit a high-quality final report detailing their research and results for publication in the annual UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research. If project results are deemed unacceptable for publication, a final report still MUST be submitted to the Grants Office (145 Main Hall).

3. In addition, certain award recipients may be asked to sit on the Undergraduate Research Committee during the following year to assist in the review of new student grant applications.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is pleased to provide funding on a competitive basis to support meaningful, campus-wide, undergraduate scholarly activities. Those eligible to apply for Undergraduate Research Grants are all full or part-time undergraduate students. Students should carefully read the information that follows and submit proposals that adhere closely to these guidelines.

The Undergraduate Research Committee equally welcomes single- or multiple-discipline proposals. This Committee recognizes that different disciplines call for different methods of inquiry. Methodologies used in the physical and social sciences will likely be different from those of the arts and humanities. Nonetheless, all proposals will need to meet certain general criteria. Ideally, research projects will result in some form of publication or a product that may be presented and disseminated through other acceptable means of communication or expression.

Projects may be pursued in the student's free time during the summer, between semesters, and/or in conjunction with advanced (independent study/research) coursework for which credit might be earned. Multiple investigators may submit a single proposal and may work collaboratively on one research project. Funding from this source will not be available for any work already completed, for travel to present research findings at conferences, or for publication printing fees.

Researchers should be aware of the various regulations and compliances to which the University must adhere. Among the most important to consider are human subjects compliance, proper animal care, and use of hazardous materials or biohazards. Information on these policies may be obtained from the Grants and Contracts Office, 145 Main Hall.

The proposal will consist of the following five elements ASSEMBLED IN THE ORDER LISTED BELOW (you need Microsoft Word to open the hyperlinks):

B. Project Budget Sheet
C. Faculty letter of Support
D. Student transcript(s)
E. Proposal Narrative (maximum five pages double-spaced)

Appendices may be utilized to incorporate additional, pertinent diagrams or information if absolutely necessary.

The signature copy of the proposal should be typed, double-spaced on one side of the paper. The additional copies should be copied, single-sided only, and all copies should be stapled in the upper left-hand corner. Costs of photocopying are to be borne by the home department of the student's faculty sponsor. The proposal should NOT be placed in a binder or other cover.

The following specific guidelines should be followed in preparation of each portion the research proposal:

A. Cover Sheet (follow instructions on the cover sheet)

(Note: Compliances--If your project includes the use of human subjects, contact the Grants Office (785-8488 or 145 Main Hall) for IRB (Institutional Review Board) or the IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) protocols or if hazardous chemicals or potentially hazardous biological agents are to be used, contact the Environmental Health and Safety Officer. If you have any questions, consult the Grants Officer, 145 Main Hall.

AGAIN, PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINE DATE TO ACQUIRE REQUIRED SIGNATURES! Departments and colleges have deadlines for turning in proposals to get the necessary signatures. Please find these out and plan accordingly.

B. Budget
A maximum of $1,250 for each project may be requested. Each student who has a proposal funded will receive an honorarium/stipend. For proposals with single student investigators, the honorarium is $500 for that student. For proposals with multiple student investigators, the maximum honorarium is $800 per project, and students should explain how this amount is to be distributed (on the Budget Summary page). The remainder of the funds requested should be used for supplies, travel, and other expenses required for execution of the research project. Funding for presentation of the proposed research will NOT be funded.

An itemized budget must accompany each proposal. While the Committee reserves the right to adjust budgets, it is important that proposers carefully assess their needs and ask for funds accordingly. Applicants must correlate budget items with materials or expenses mentioned in the proposal narrative, e.g., if travel funds are requested, the narrative should explain why the travel is necessary for completion of the project. Applicants should note that items included in broad categories such as "miscellaneous" or "other" will not be accepted by the Committee for funding. Round all budget entries to the nearest dollar.

IMPORTANT: Please refer to the UW-L Travel Regulations website http://www.uwlax.edu/travel/ for guidelines for allotted hotel, food, and mileage amounts.

C. Letter of Support
The applicant should arrange to have his or her sponsoring faculty member write a critical letter of support to the Undergraduate Research Committee, commenting on the individual abilities of the student investigator to succeed in the undertaking. The faculty sponsor should clearly explain how the student will act as an independent investigator in the project and describe the role of the student in carrying out the research. In addition, mention should be made of what facilities, equipment, and supportive roles he or she intends to lend to the work. Finally, the faculty sponsor should make an estimate of the time required to complete the proposed work.

D. Transcripts
Copies of current academic transcripts for all applicants listed on the proposal must be included. (Unofficial copies of transcript are acceptable).

E. Proposal Narrative
The Undergraduate Research Committee must make comparisons and judgments across disciplines and methodological lines. The applicant should keep this in mind, and remember that the review committee is an interdisciplinary one and that there will be several members who are not familiar with your field of study. Therefore, proposals should be directed toward a general audience and avoid the excessive use of jargon!

Remember: Proposal narratives (not including bibliography, references and/or appendices) must be no longer than five double-spaced pages.

All applicants are asked to follow the narrative outline provided here:

1. Background/Statement of the Problem/Significance of the Project. Be succinct. Clearly support your statement with documentation and references, and include an up-to-date and pertinent review of the relevant literature.

2. Objectives. Define the specific, proposed outcome(s) and product(s) of the research. What will be known after the project has been completed? If the anticipated outcomes are quantifiable, explain how they will be measured.

3. Research Methods. Design and describe a work plan consistent with your academic discipline. This may include, but is not limited to, scientific research in the physical, biological or social sciences, use of population samples, experimental and control groups, or other methods of data gathering and statistical analysis. The work plan may include archival research, translations, ethnographic fieldwork, solitary thinking, or other forms of analysis and synthesis of ideas and concepts in the arts and humanities.

4. Final Products and Dissemination. Describe possible forms of the final product, e.g., publishable manuscript, conference paper, invention, software, exhibit, performance, etc. Be specific about the methods used to disseminate your results to a wide audience.

IV. Final Report

After presenting at the annual UW-L Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creativity in the spring, grant awardees must submit a final report detailing the research problem, methodology, data or information gathered, and final results. Final reports must be submitted in both printed form and electronically (MS Word versions preferred) to Dr. Aaron Monte, editor of the Journal of Undergraduate Research. Additional guidelines for preparation of manuscripts for publication in the Journal are available at http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/JUR-online/index.html.

The awardee�s faculty mentor will be responsible for assuring that the final report meets the format criteria of a major, high-quality publication in that discipline. Select reports will be collectively bound in the annual University publication, the UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research, as an archival record of student scholarly activity. Final reports are due to Dr. Monte by the first Wednesday in May (one year after the grant is awarded). The next final report due date is May 30, 2008.

Additional guidelines for preparation of manuscripts for publication in the Journal, as well as for making presentations at the UW-L Student Research Day are available at any time from the Undergraduate Research Committee.

Grant Guidelines - Fall