The list of community-based proposals is updated as agency proposals are submitted until the application is opened to all students. Once the application is available to students, no new proposals will be added for that semester's solicitation.
Purpose of the award
The award is designed to help answer questions of direct interest to agencies and non-profits in the community that are of an applied nature and can be translated into research questions. These projects are derived through dialogue between local agencies or businesses and Undergraduate Research, to make sure that they meet the following criteria:
- Questions are of immediate interest and potential application to the community
- Questions are suitable for undergraduate students in their complexity and extent
- There are personnel within the agency willing to provide mentorship to the student
Developing research proposals
The role of the agency is to develop questions they want addressed and the role of Undergraduate Research is to ensure that these questions are appropriately scoped for an undergraduate student researcher to complete in a semester. The agency will develop a project proposal that provides:
- Project title
- Research question/problem statement
- Background description that explains what the agency currently knows (available data), what the agency would like to learn through this project (e.g. data to collect, surveys to conduct, analyses to perform), and why it is important to the community
- Deliverable – this may be a report, map, suite of policy recommendations, etc.
- Suggested minimum skills/desirable field of study for student applicants
- Suggested majors for student applicants
- Agency contact (name, phone, email)
Solicitation and application
The projects will be advertised by Undergraduate Research to students, who will then complete an application. Applications require a letter of support from a faculty member willing to mentor the student. All applicants for a specific project will be reviewed by agency personnel and the candidates will be ranked. Final selection of candidates will be made by Undergraduate Research in consultation with the agency.
Awards
An award of $2,250, provided by the University of Nevada, Reno, will go to the student in the form of salary as a student worker. Students will work approximately 10 hours per week over a 15-week semester. Funds required for on-site materials or transportation to field sites would be provided by the agency.
A $500 stipend will go to the faculty mentor if they choose to keep it. Otherwise, the payment may go to the awardee.
Timeline
For projects being conducted from August 1-December 31:
- Proposals must be submitted by the agencies by mid-January (this date corresponds to the date the application is available to students)
- Students will apply in April
- After application period, agencies will have time to review student applications, set up interviews (optional), and decide on their top picks
- Student-agency matches will then be determined and decisions will be disseminated to students and agencies in May
For projects being conducted from January 1-May 31:
- Proposals must be in by the end of August (this date corresponds to the date the application is available to students)
- Students will apply in November
- After application period, agencies will have time to review student applications, set up interviews (optional), and decide on their top picks
- Student-agency matches will then be determined and decisions will be disseminated to students and agencies in December
Participating agencies
Due to budget constraints, not all projects proposed for funding will necessarily be funded. Funding decisions will be based on available funds, number of applicants, and number of projects funded per organization.
Upcoming projects:
The community-based award is currently being redesigned. Please check back for future developments.