This year’s class of undergraduate Fiddler Fellows includes 12 students from a variety of disciplines, spanning from Architecture to Engineering and even the humanities. Fiddler Innovation Graduate Student Fellowship Awards were also presented to three graduate students, and the Fiddler Innovation Faculty Fellowship was awarded to five faculty members.

The undergraduate award, which consists of a $1,000 stipend, was given to students whose research at NCSA crossed over into multiple disciplines, encouraging exploration of new topics and innovation. Awardees from this year studied everything from real-time immersive virtual environments for education and learning to food insecurity on college campuses.

Congratulations to our 2014 Undergraduate Research Week award winners! 

We regret to announce that we are suspending the 2016 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship-Abroad (SURF-A). We hope to offer it again in summer 2017. 

Congratulations to our 2017 Undergraduate Research Week award winners! 

The Data Visualization Competition is a chance for you to show off your skills in communicating information visually. Undergraduate researchers, show off your data and presentation skills and win up to $500!

All submissions must be received by September 23, 2018.

For more information see the poster below and also visit: https://www.library.illinois.edu/sc/events/viz-competition

The Data Visualization Competition is sponsored by the Scholarly Commons, CITL, Illinois Informatics Institute, and Research IT.

Congratulations to our 2018 Undergraduate Research Week award winners! 

The Data Visualization Competition is a chance for you to show off your skills in communicating information visually. Undergraduate researchers, show off your data and presentation skills and win up to $400!

All submissions must be received by October 6, 2019.

For more information see the poster below and also visit: go.illinois.edu/viz-competition

The Data Visualization Competition is sponsored by the Scholarly Commons, CITL, Illinois Informatics Institute, and Research IT.

Congratulations to our 2019 Undergraduate Research Week award winners! 

Congratulations to our 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

Congratulations to our 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

Congratulations to our 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the biomedical sciences as a PhD or MD-PhD, Mayo Clinic’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship is an excellent opportunity to work alongside scientists at one of the world’s leading biomedical research centers. Up to seven fellowships are reserved for sophomores and juniors nominated by a University of Illinois selection committee.

Apply by Nov. 7 to be considered for this special pre-selection process.

Get details and apply: https://go.illinois.edu/SURF

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) is seeking undergraduate applicants for two summer 2023 student programs. Please share with your students. See full post for more information.

Congratulations to our 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

Congratulations to our 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

Congratulations to our 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium award winners! 

The First-Gen Scholars Research Program (FGSRP), now entering its second year, offers first-generation college students who are federal work-study eligible the opportunity to engage in paid, hands-on research with a faculty mentor while building skills, confidence, and community. Participants work 10 hours per week, earn $17/hour through Federal Work-Study, and take part in cohort activities that support their academic and professional growth.

Applications for the 2025–26 cohort are due Monday, November 3, 2025, at 5:00 PM.

Learn more about the program, application requirements, and upcoming informational sessions on our website: go.illinois.edu/FGSRP.

The Department of Economics is hosting a talk on September 19 about artificial intelligence and big data. We encourage you to stop by and learn about some of the cutting-edge research in this area!

Are you a life science or bio-engineering major interested in philosophy, politics, history, and literature?  Are you a humanities major who also dabbles in biochemistry, molecular biology, endocrinology, or neuroscience? Are you interested in exploring how the sciences and the humanities are together generating new areas of research?

The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH), with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is looking for undergraduate interns to work with its Bio-humanities research group for the academic year 2016–2017.DEADLINE TO APPLY: MARCH 1, 2016.

Applications for the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program is due October 4, 2022 at 11:59 pm.

The Office of Undergraduate Research is now accepting applications for the Aspiring Researchers Alliance, a program to guide and support students through the process of securing an undergraduate research experience. Deadline to apply is Monday, February 5 at 11:59 PM.

The Office of Undergraduate Research is now accepting applications for the Aspiring Researchers Alliance, a pilot program to guide and support students through the process of securing an undergraduate research experience. Deadline to apply is Wednesday, September 13 at 11:59 PM.

Interested in doing research with impact this summer? The Community-Academic Scholars Initiative (organized by the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute) matches undergraduates with research projects designed to directly benefit community members served by the partner organization. We are pleased to announce that the Summer 2023 student application period is now open. The deadline to apply is Feb. 6 at 11:59 p.m.

This summer, 10 undergraduate students performed research at the forefront of advanced imaging and microscopy technologies through the “Discoveries in Bioimaging” Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). Funded by the National Science Foundation, the 10-week program, which ended Aug. 4, allowed the students to experience life as a graduate student.

SUBMIT your paper to The Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research

We are seeking undergraduate research papers and reflection pieces for our special issue: “Health Topics in Community-Based Research and Service Learning”

This Special Issue can include topics of service learning and community-based research projects that:

• improve community health outcomes
• reduce health disparities
• address physical, emotional, and social health

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis through the end of January 2023!

Submissions will be accepted through the journal website (ujslcbr.org).

If you have any questions, please contact the special issue editor Dr. Amelia Huelskamp (huelskampa@uncw.edu) or the general journal address (ujslcbr@uncw.edu).

Did you write a paper last year that you are interested in publishing? Consider submitting your work to the Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research!

The Undergraduate Journal of Service Learning and Community-Based Research is seeking student submissions, faculty/staff reviewers, and faculty/staff editorial board members. 

This refereed, multidisciplinary, online undergraduate journal’s goal is to advance knowledge in new scholarly arenas by presenting intellectual and reflective work by undergraduates. This journal seeks undergraduate contributions to the literature on service learning and community-based research. To submit a paper or learn more about the different submission categories, visit our website. Student submissions for the Fall 2022 issue are due by September 16th, 2022 and are accepted on a rolling basis. Submissions received after that date will be considered for our next issue, with a submission date of January 31st. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jill Waity, journal editor, at ujslcbr@uncw.edu

If this deadline doesn't work for you, there will be new deadlines later in the fall semester and next spring! 

Contact Merinda Kaye Hensley if you would like to talk about publishing your research in an undergraduate research journal - there are many more journals that we could explore! mhensle1@illinois.edu 

Conference travel grant applications for Spring and early Summer 2016 now open. Deadline for applications is February 22, 2016. Application is available here. Notification of grants will be made after the competition has closed.

The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is still accepting submissions for the 2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS), set for Thursday, April 19. The URS is the signature event of Undergraduate Research Week (April 15-21), and brings together students, faculty, and staff from all disciplines on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, as well as corporate partners and sponsors, to learn more about undergraduate research and its potential to change the world.

For more information on Undergraduate Research Week, the URS, and OUR programs, please visit our website at: http://undergradresearch.illinois.edu/symposium.html

Deadline for submitting an application to the URS is Friday, February 16, 2018, at 11:59 pm. The application can be found at http://go.illinois.edu/urs

Questions may be addressed to ugresearch@illinois.edu; please put “URS Application” in the subject line.

We are excited to announce a new resource for students who want to learn more about undergraduate research. "Demystifying the Academic Research Enterprise: Becoming a Successful Scholar in a Complex and Competitive Environment" by Dr. Kelvin K. Droegemeier is now available via MIT Press open access. This book serves as a guide for students across disciplines, offering insights into the essentials of academic research and how to thrive in a research environment.

Drop-in Hours have concluded for Fall 2017

Due to growing concerns with and uncertainty about COVID-19, the Office of Undergraduate Research has decided to suspend it's weekly drop-in hours until further notice. We apologies for any inconvenience this may cause and encourage you to email us with questions.

Drop-in hours today will shortened today from 1:00 PM - 2:45 PM. Happy Halloween; Stay Spooky!

The Grainger College of Engineering Undergraduate Research in cooperation with International Programs in Engineering (IPENG) are sponsoring this fall's Engineering Research Fair and 3rd International Research Symposium on September 27, 4:00 - 6:00 PM at Illini Union Rooms A, B, and C.

The Image of Research is a multidisciplinary competition celebrating the diversity and breadth of undergraduate student research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. All undergraduate students are invited to submit entries consisting of an image and brief text that articulates how the image relates to the research.

Entries will be judged by a multidisciplinary panel for:

• Connection between image, text, and research
• Originality
• Visual Impact

All images submitted will be included in IDEALS, hosted and archived by the University Library for long term preservation.Accepting submissions from February 21, 2019--March 29, 2019.

• First prize: $300
• Second prize: $200
• Additionally, there may be up to two honorable mentions

All entries will be on display at the Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 18, 2019. 

For more information: http://publish.illinois.edu/imageofresearch/undergraduate-image-of-research/undergraduate-competition-details/  

P.S. You may also be interested in the Undergraduate Library’s 50th Anniversary Design Competition: http://publish.illinois.edu/undergradlibrary/2019/02/11/the-undergraduate-library-announces-the-ugl-50th-anniversary-design-competition/   

Request for Proposals for Faculty/Program Development Grants for Undergraduate Research 2018/19. Deadline to apply is March 23, 2018.

The Office of Undergraduate is now accepting student applications to the Research Support and Conference Travel Grants for the Fall 2019 semester. For more information including how to apply for funding, please view the full article.

The Office of Undergraduate is now accepting student applications to the Research Support and Conference Travel Grants for the Fall 2020 semester. For more information including how to apply for funding, please view the full article.

Fellowship for Digital and Inclusive Excellence
at the UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
a program of the Association of Research Libraries

Wondering about the digital humanities or data science? Concerned about information access and equity? Interested in exploring how digital technologies can help us re-imagine libraries and archives? Explore a future in information!

The Fellowship for Digital and Inclusive Excellence introduces diverse undergraduate students to the work and culture of the contemporary research library and archive. The program focuses on digital stewardship—the care and management of digital information resources over their life cycle, including creation, collection, preservation, access, and use.

The fellowship includes:

• a one-year, paid internship position in a host research library or archive (such as the University of Illinois Library);
• a mentorship program with peers & professionals from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups;
• free membership in a professional organization of the participant's choice;
• a capstone institute at the end of the fellowship year for additional professional development and community building; . . . and more!

To be eligible for this fellowship, you must:

• identify as being from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group, based on the categories outlined by the US Census Bureau or Statistics Canada or Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit) people classifications;
• be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;
• be enrolled as an undergraduate for the duration of the fellowship;
• express an interest in exploring possible career and graduate school options in the library & information science (LIS) or archives field as well as training in diversity, inclusion, and social justice topics; and
• express commitment to the fundamental values and mission of libraries and archives.

Upload a résumé; a 500-word statement of interest; and your undergraduate transcript by April 26th, 2019. Two letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the ARL Program Coordinator for Grants Administration, Mira Swearer, mira@arl.org.

For further details, visit the website of the Association of Research Libraries: https://www.arl.org/focus-areas/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/fellowship-digital-inclusive-excellence

* * *
Internships at the University Library could involve curating archives and special collections materials (including digital collections), creating metadata, developing online exhibits, helping with digitization projects or digital platforms, and/or other efforts related to digital preservation and access. Tasks could include language translation, social media outreach, and more! Interns may be considered for placement in several Library units, including—but not limited to—Preservation Services, the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University Archives, Illinois and History Collections, Literatures and Languages Library (including Classics), and Scholarly Communications and other units affiliated with the Offices of Digital Strategies and Research.

For general questions about the ARL fellowship, possible internship projects at the University of Illinois Library, and a future in Library & Information Science, please contact Dr. Bonnie Mak, bmak@illinois.edu.

First-Generation Scholars Research Program provides research experience and more

4Humanities.org announces its “Shout Out For the Humanities” student prize contest. Prizes are offered for best undergraduate (1st prize: US $1,000 – 2nd: $700 – 3rd: $300) and best graduate student (1st prize: US $1,000 – 2nd: $700 – 3rd: $300) submissions from any nation that speak up for the value of the humanities in today’s society.

4Humanities wants to showcase student ideas and voices on such questions as:

"Why is studying the humanities — e.g., history, literature, languages, philosophy, art history, media history, and culture — important to you? To society? How would you convince your parents, an employer, a politician, or others that there is value in learning the humanities?"

Submissions will be judged by an international panel of distinguished judges for message, quality, and impact no matter the medium or format. Possible submissions include: essay (less than 2,000 words), video, digital work, poster, cartoon, song, art, short story, interview.

Submissions are due March 1, 2016.

Submission Guidelines • Contest Kit • Judges 

See more at: http://4humanities.org/category/4humanities-advocacy-projects/shout-out-for-humanities-student-contest/#sthash.5GACr9kX.dpuf

Why is studying the humanities important? - A workshop

Date/time: Thursday Feb 4, 6-7 pm

Where: Main Library, Room 314

At this workshop, Sayan Bhattacharyya, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, will show interested students how the HathiTrust+Bookworm tool (partly developed here at UIUC), and a Word Similarity Tool (built at Cornell University) can help students interested in participating in the contest to construct philological arguments using text-mining of the digitized contents of the world's great research libraries, supporting their entries. 

Students will be encouraged to form student teams from among other interested attendees at the workshop. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students.

Details of the contest are at:

http://4humanities.org/category/4humanities-advocacy-projects/shout-out-for-humanities-student-contest/