Student development award

Student research/community-based projects may include service learning and volunteer project supplies, project incentives, journal publication fees for peer-reviewed papers, publication of educational materials (e.g. pamphlets, fact sheets, …).

Career development activities include conference registration, poster production, guest speaker honorariums, public health certification examination fees, etc.

Grants are available for:

• Masters and doctoral students actively enrolled in the School of Public Health.
• Undergraduate juniors or seniors actively enrolled in the School of Public Health.

Students shall only apply for an award once per academic year. While receiving an award is competitive and not guaranteed, students shall receive no more than two awards during each academic program. 

Each application must include a letter of support and a signature from the sponsoring faculty member using the template provided with the application.

Proposals will be evaluated competitively, based on the quality of the application and its focus on public health practice and research, attention to underserved areas and populations as well as feasibility.

Students requesting assistance with publication fees for peer-reviewed papers must be the first author of the manuscript.

It is expected that students have requested funding from other sources available, including but not limited to the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN), Graduate School, and the Western Regional Public Health Training Center before applying for a Development Award.

Awarded funds may not be used for:

• Internships – for internship funding up to $3,500, see the Western Regional Public Health Training Center Student Project Stipend
• Financial compensation to the student or faculty, of any kind, for time working on the project
• Publication fees where the student is not the first author

Students shall only apply for an award once per academic year. Awards will be distributed as follows:

• Doctoral student: Up to $1,000
• Graduate student: Up to $500
• Undergraduate student: Up to $250

Students whose proposals are selected for an award are required to provide a final progress report to the Committee (see Award Procedures).

Compile an application packet with the following information (Be sure to have all of these pieces ready before submitting your application):

Fill out the online application here: Project Plan/Proposal Application

Application must include

• Project management plan with timeline
• Complete budget
• Letter of support from faculty member with signature

The purpose of the Development Fund is to supplement student research and community-based projects, and career development activities relevant to the student’s success in their undergraduate or graduate program.

A letter of support is needed from a sponsoring faculty member with each Development Award application and needs to be included with the submitted application.

 As the sponsoring faculty, you are expected to

• be familiar with and/or be involved with the research, community-based project and/or career development activity;
• assure that funds are used following the Development Award criteria and according to the budget submitted with the student’s application; and
• provide input into the student’s final progress report.

The letter of support should include at a minimum:

• How long you have worked with the student.
• Your involvement with the student’s project and why you support the student receiving a Development Award.
• Describe how this funding will contribute to the student’s success in their academic program.
• Indicate in the letter that you have reviewed and approve the budget expenses and that they follow the Development Award criteria.
• Confirm in the letter that the student has requested funding from the University and the outside sources listed in the Development Award criteria and those attempts were unsuccessful.
  • “It is expected that students have requested funding from other sources including but not limited to the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN), Graduate School, and the Western Regional Public Health Training Center before applying for a Development Award.” Development Award criteria
• Indicate if you are supporting the student’s activity with funding.
• Your actual signature (not typed written).

Applications are reviewed by the Differential Fee Committee monthly on a first come, first serve basis. This is an ongoing and revolving process so there is not a specific deadline for each semester.

Students are encouraged to apply well in advanced of any travel to ensure the committee has time to review their application.

Students will be notified by email of an award. Once received, students should follow the instructions in the award notification for information on how to process invoice payments using a University procurement card. 

Invoices and detailed receipts are always needed to pay award invoices and reimbursements. A University credit card will be used for expenses that need to be paid in advance (e.g. publication fees, conference fees...). 

In the event that a recipient of this award terminates his/her enrollment from their academic program prior to the specified end date of the funded activity(s), or doesn’t complete the funded activity(s), the award may be prorated according to the amount of time completing the funded activity(s). Journal publication fees for peer-reviewed papers will be at the actual costs, up to the maximum amount of the funded award.

Any remaining monies not used for the funded activity(s) for any reason shall be returned to the Development Award fund.

Award recipients will be required to provide a final progress report within two weeks of the project completion date. The written documentation and an mp4 video file should be emailed to sph@unr.edu using the subject, “Final Progress Report.” Students are strongly encouraged to get input from their sponsoring faculty member while completing the final progress report.

The final progress report will consist of the following:

• Written documentation of how the awarded funds were spent.
• A video lasting no more than three-minutes that includes 1. how the funding supported their educational program success; and 2. three things that the student learned.

The video may be made public on the School of Public Health webpage.

Video instructions

Write out a script. For reference, three minutes is about 450 words. It is important that your script be written in more of a speaking-style with a natural flow, not how one would write an academic paper. Please be sure to read your script out loud a few times and pay attention to difficult passages and where you breathe. You may find that using academic language can make sentences long-winded and it may help to split sentences up to keep the phrasing natural so you’re not gasping for breath at the end or in the middle.

Finally, be sure to dress appropriately/professionally and record the video in a professional setting.

Please include the following in the video:

• Introduction: A brief overview of the activities funded, including the goal, and the population served by your activities, if applicable.
• Findings: Three things that you learned through the funded activities.
• Conclusion: How the funded supported your educational success.