Undergraduate Research Award Applications Open

Washington State University undergraduate students can apply online now through Jan. 26 for any of eight awards to support their mentored undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activities in academic year 2024–25.

A variety of awards are available to all students. Three are presented by the Office of Undergraduate Research in the Division of Academic Engagement and Student Achievement (DAESA). Others are from the WSU LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) program, the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, and the Team Mentoring Program (TMP). A grant for research into arts and humanities topics is available from the WSU Emerita/Emeritus Society.

Students must provide information about their research in their application. Their faculty mentor endorsement must be submitted online by Feb. 2.

Last year, 42 awards totaling more than $60,000 were made for 2023–24.

Awards selection

The application form asks students to select among the awards available, with the option to choose more than one. Most applicants are eligible for an Auvil Scholars Fellowship and the Undergraduate Research Fellowship, said Jeremy Lessmann, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research.

The Auvil Scholars Fellowship is for undergraduates in all majors, years in college, and WSU campus locations. This fund was created in 2006 from an estate gift by Grady and Lillie Auvil, Wenatchee tree-fruit entrepreneurs. Hundreds of undergraduates across WSU have received funding from this award and become Auvil Fellows during their baccalaureate program.

The Scott and Linda Carson Undergraduate Research Excellence Award is the first university-wide undergraduate research award that gives preference to recipients who are upper-division students (juniors and seniors). The fund was created in 2013 by the Carson’s, WSU alumni who have long supported WSU with their service and financial gifts.

The Undergraduate Research Award is made possible by donor gifts that support a wide variety of students pursuing undergraduate research opportunities. Awardees are called Undergraduate Research Fellows.

The James A. Weir Research Fellowship was established in 2008. It supports undergraduate research by Weir Fellows working with a faculty mentor.

The DeVlieg Foundation Award was established by a private, tax-exempt charity to support sophomore and junior students in the WSU Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture who are pursuing research into renewable energy. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA. Recipients of the award are known as DeVlieg Fellows.

WSL LSAMP Research Awards are for LSAMP program participants at WSU Pullman who are pursuing a degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline. The program serves students who are Native-Alaskan/Native American, African American/Black, Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and/or two or more races when combined with any of these previously stated races. Awardees are known as WSU LSAMP Research Fellows. WSU LSAMP is an NSF-sponsored program.

The Team Mentoring Program Research Awards are sponsored by the Washington Research Foundation and The Boeing Co. This program is designed to maximize the experience of STEM students and pre-health majors, and to increase their retention, achievement, graduation, and preparation for post-baccalaureate endeavors. Since 2009, dozens of students have received funding from these awards and became TMP Scholars.

The Emerita/Emeritus Society Undergraduate Research Grant in Arts and Humanities was established in 2021 to support faculty-mentored undergraduate research and creative activities at any stage of development. The goal of these grants is to encourage students engaged in and studying the fine and performing arts; exploring modern and ancient languages, literature, cultures, philosophy, and history; and examining human culture and expression from defined perspectives in the wide range of related interdisciplinary programs at WSU.

More information

For more information and to access the online application form, visit the awards page on the undergraduate research website.


Media contacts:

Jeremy Lessmann, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, jlessman@wsu.edu

Read the full article in the WSU Insider.