Research and Scholarly Work
Undergraduate Research Committee
DSU offers financial support for undergraduate research through undergraduate research grants. These grants provide you with funding to conduct supervised research across all disciplines throughout the academic year.
The Undergraduate Research Program encourages you to be intimately engaged in the research process. You can work on your own research or with a faculty mentor on their research. You are expected to receive training in the research methods of your discipline. You will work to collect and analyze data to test your own hypotheses, develop an original composition, and/or participate in other appropriate scholarly and creative activities. The program particularly encourages you and your faculty mentor to think critically about how your work fits in with the larger academic community. Your projects may be publicly distributed and presented.
Information about the annual research conference, Celebration of Scholars, can be found at this page: http://dsuresearch.com.
Funding Guidelines
Deadlines
Funding priority deadlines are Oct. 15, Feb. 15, and Apr. 30.
Applications will be officially evaluated at two points during the academic year: the first week of October for the fall cycle and the first week of February for the spring cycle. Applications outside of these deadlines will be considered based on specified needs. All funds must be spent before June 15 of the relevant fiscal year.
Funding Qualifications
To qualify for funding, you must either be (a) a current student at DSU, (b) a tenure-track faculty member opening a new line of research, or (c) a DSU graduate continuing work begun while a student at DSU within one semester of the student’s graduation.
You must be prepared to present your work at the DSU Celebration of Scholars during the funding year. If it’s a faculty project, you must be actively involved in the presentation.
Funding Uses
Appropriate uses for Undergraduate Research Program funding:
- Consumable materials (e.g., paper, postage, chemicals) and other supplies directly needed to conduct the research
- Unique software or equipment needed to conduct the research
- Travel expenses to and from research sites
- Travel expenses and registration fees for conference at which the student has an accepted research proposal related to a DSU-funded project
- Compensation for community partners or individuals who participate in the research
- Training for skills that are specific and unique to the needs of the project
- Cost of printing a poster for a conference at which the student has an accepted proposal
- Other costs connected with the above criteria
Unacceptable uses for this funding:
- Computers or other general materials that are not uniquely needed for this research
- Salaries or stipends for individuals
Priorities: A maximum of $1500 per fiscal year may be funded based on the following priorities:
- First priority: Students conducting their own research under guidance from a faculty member, such as gathering data to test their own unique hypothesis or creating an original and significant composition in art, music, or writing.
- Second priority: Supplies necessary for faculty research in which students are actively involved in developing and implementing the research or composition (e.g., student would be listed as co-author if a publication resulted from the work).
- Third priority: Costs associated with conference attendance for students participating in research, such as travel expenses, registration fees, or poster printing.
- Fourth priority: Startup funds for a tenure-track faculty member who has not had an active line of research in the previous three academic years and intends to open a line of research in which a specific student or students will be actively involved.
Funding Application Forms
Please refer to the guidelines to decide if your project is eligible for funding.
Memberships
