Scholarships
Current Scholarships
$500 Research Grant Opportunity
Department of Psychology
Undergraduate Research Initiative Grants Program
In order to develop and showcase outstanding undergraduate research in psychology, the Department of Psychology will award several grants to undergraduates working on research projects with a faculty mentor. The projects must: (1) be developed in collaboration with a mentor on the psychology faculty; (2) have scientific merit; and (3) include an original contribution by the student. Applicants should have some previous research experience before they apply, for example a student in Psych 498, and they must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
Each award will consist of a $500 grant to the student and up to $250 to the laboratory of the faculty mentor in order to help defray costs associated with conducting the research. The awards will be announced annually in April and November. The project scope should allow the study to be completed by the end of March so that presentations can be made at the Undergraduate Research Symposium to be held each April.
To apply, the student should write a two page description of the research. The student should give the proposal to the faculty mentor with sufficient lead time for the mentor to add a confidential, one-page letter that addresses the student’s eligibility for the grant, the student’s ability to carry out the project, and the merit of the research ideas. The mentor must then submit the proposal and the evaluation letter to the Department Chair by Nov. 1. The proposal description should be single-spaced with one inch margins and the font should be no smaller than 12pt. Proposals should adhere to the following format:
- Specific Aims of the Research
- Background and Significance
- Methods
- Brief Budget (a few sentences on how the money for the lab will be spent)
Those students who receive awards will be expected to present their research findings annually in the spring at a research symposium that will be open to all interested individuals: current and prospective students and their families, WSU faculty, staff and administrators, community members and alumni.
If you have questions, you may direct them to Dr. Samantha Swindell, Undergraduate Program Director, via email at: sswindel@wsunix.wsu.edu.
