Undergraduate Research Awards

AWARD APPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED

Faculty or Students: Submit now for the Undergraduate Research Award if you have a high-quality paper or project that extensively used library resources during Winter, Spring, or Fall 2009.

Submissions accepted until the Deadline: January 29, 2010

Purpose

Undergraduate education at the University of Oregon occurs in an environment where teaching, research, and service are integrated and mutually enriching enterprises. Many undergraduates already engage in the UO's research processes by working in laboratories and in the field. The UO Libraries' annual Undergraduate Research Award program recognizes undergraduate students who demonstrate extraordinary skill and creativity in the application of library and information resources to original research and scholarship.

Awards

Awards typically are given for $1000 or $1500. The number of awards may vary from year to year. In 2009 funds were available for five awards of $1,000 each.
For currently enrolled students, awards are given as scholarships. If the recipient has already graduated, the award is given as a cash prize.

Submissions

Deadline: January 29, 2010.
Completed applications can be submitted at any time from February 2009 through January 29, 2010
Papers or projects must be completed in Winter 2009, Spring 2009, Summer 2009, or Fall 2009.
If you have questions about the program or the nomination and application process, contact the award committee c/o libaward@uoregon.edu.

Eligibility

Individuals or teams must be currently enrolled University of Oregon undergraduates or recent graduates.
Eligible projects must have been completed for an upper division (300 - 400 level) UO credit course.
Projects must be completed during Winter 2009, Spring 2009, Summer 2009, or Fall term 2009.
Projects must be nominated by the professor responsible for the course.
Individuals or teams must agree to contribute their projects to the permanent collections of the University of Oregon Libraries and the UO Scholars' Bank digital repository.

Evaluation Criteria

Successful projects will:

Make extensive, creative use of library services, resources, and collections in any format.
Demonstrate effective application of information literacy and fluency principles:
- determining information needs
- evaluating and analyzing information
- managing, organizing, and synthesizing information
- applying information in the context of the research project
- communicating information in formats appropriate to an academic audience
- making responsible use of information by providing appropriate and accurate citations and credits
Show evidence of significant personal knowledge in the methods of research and inquiry.
Demonstrate originality of thought, mastery of content appropriate to class level, clear writing, and overall quality of presentation.

Evaluation Committee

Submissions are evaluated by a panel of faculty members and administrators representing the University Library Committee, UO Libraries, Undergraduate Studies, and the Office of Financial Aid/Scholarships.

Application Procedures

Applications will consist of:

Application cover sheet [pdf] for Individual Projects or Team Projects
Application checklist [pdf]
Nomination form [pdf] and letter from the supervising faculty member or instructor.
A copy of the course syllabus.
A 500-750 word essay describing research strategies, application of library tools and resources in completion of the project. The essay is given substantial weight in the review process.
An acknowledgments page indicating the names and titles of professors, librarians, and any others who provided significant help with your research.
A bibliography or other appropriate listing of sources consulted.
A final version of the research project:
- Written projects should be double-spaced; there is no minimum or maximum length.
- Digital projects: submit a printout of the first 'page' of the project in addition to the digitally formatted version. Provide a DVD or CD copy of web based projects. For all other project formats, consult with the Award Committee Chair, c/o libaward@uoregon.edu, to determine the appropriate format of project submissions.
- All other application components must be submitted as electronic documents or paper.
- Submit documents as electronic email attachments. If you need to submit some material in print, please do not use staples, bind projects, or put projects in 3-ring binders. Use paper clips, envelopes, or folders.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted. Late applications will not be considered. Applications will not be returned; please submit copies

Send your application documents as PDF attachments to: libaward@uoregon.edu

If you have a project that can not be sent electronically, send it to:
Undergraduate Research Awards Committee
c/o Library Administration
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-1299

Award Notification and Disposition

Awards are announced in the late winter term, and recipients and faculty sponsors are honored at a special event during Spring term. For currently enrolled students, awards are given as scholarships, with funds applied directly to the UO billing account. If the recipient has already graduated, the award is given as a cash prize. Team awards are divided equally among all members. Please note that depending on the recipient's enrollment status and income, the Undergraduate Research Award may be reportable as taxable income.

Acknowledgments

The Undergraduate Research Awards are made possible by endowments established through the generous support of Milton C. and Barbara B. Sparks and Jon and Lisa Stine, as well as gifts from Walter and Gretchen Barger. We gratefully acknowledge this generous support. We also extend our thanks to the libraries of the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Washington for their guidance and direction in the development of the Undergraduate Research Award program.

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/researchprize/
http://www.lib.washington.edu/researchaward/

Maintained by: Barbara Jenkins, jenkins@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 12/01/2009