FUSE seeks to support teams of faculty and students conducting focused and meaningful research, scholarly and creative activities over the summer. Funded applications will offer a $4000 faculty stipend, up to $500 for materials, and the ability to hire a student researcher for 40 hours a week for the duration of the FUSE Program. (Faculty may alternately hire two researchers at 20 hours/week). The competition opens in early January each year and applications are typically due in early February in InfoReady.
Students who engage in research and creative activities as undergraduates have higher learning gains, such as problem solving and critical thinking skills, and increased self-confidence and independence, when compared to students who do not participate in undergraduate research and creative activities.
Student-Faculty Collaborative Mini Grants
Until 2020, Mini-grants offered $3,000 in supply funding to faculty members who designed projects to support undergraduate research in all academic areas. See previous CURCA mini-grant funded proposals.
Beginning in 2020, CURCA invites applications for its new Student-Faculty Collaborative Mini Grant program. Student-lead teams may apply for up to $2000 to support undergraduate research. The competition opens in late August, and applications are due by the last Friday in September.
Workshops
Each semester we offer workshops on applying for Mini-Grants, FUSE and Brainstorming CURCA related projects. We cover the basics of the rubrics, tips to enhance your application and common errors applicants make. Please check the CURCA Calendar for an updated schedule of workshops.
Faculty Presentation Opportunities
The UNG Symposium on Innovation, Research, and Engagement (SOIRE), formerly UNG Faculty Research Day, is comprised of a one-day conference that showcases faculty and staff scholarship from across all campuses of the university, drawing together lifelong learners with a broad range of interests, to celebrate our achievements. Visit the Center for Teaching and Learning Leadership (CTLL) to learn more about Scholar productivity development and support.
The AAC&U identifies undergraduate research as a high-impact practice with far –reaching positive effects on student learning gains and outcomes. Evidence of research or creative activities on a student’s CV can also make them more competitive for jobs or entrance to other educational programs. Finally, students involved in undergraduate research often develop closer relationships with faculty that can help improve retention and provide the basis for strong letters of recommendation for future activities.
Many faculty members find research or creative activities personally rewarding, fun and a good way to establish more meaningful relationships with students. Some departments also recognize evidence of undergraduate research and creative activities on annual activities forms and in promotion and tenure. Check your specific departmental promotion and tenure guidelines for more details.
Start by talking to your department head or department/college colleagues. You can also reach out to CURCA directors, faculty fellows or ambassadors. There are also several workshops on campus to help faculty learn about how to get started with research. Lastly, attending UNG’s Annual Research Conference is a great way to learn about what is already going on around campus, and it may help you identify potential collaborators. Talk to someone about any idea you have and start planning! You’ll realize that some ideas are tractable and some might need to wait.
Financial support for research through UNG comes from 2 main places, CURCA and the Office of Research and Engagement. Colleagues or professional contacts could be good sources of information about external funding opportunities.
UNG supports faculty who are interested in applying for external funding. If you’re thinking about this, contact the Office of Research and Engagement. They administer the external grant application process at UNG and offer pre and post-award support. You could also approach your department head to discuss the possibility of a course release to allow you time to prepare a competitive grant.
Yes! There are many wonderful opportunities for students to present their work. Please see the Presentation Opportunities page in our student section of the website. There may also be appropriate discipline specific opportunities at local (ex. Georgia Academy of Sciences annual meeting) and regional conferences (ex. Association of Southeastern Biologists annual meeting). Talk to your colleagues and department head about their experiences.
To defray the cost of travel, CURCA offers student conference/travel grants. Many departments also support this kind of activity and have money for student and faculty travel.
To help recruit students, consider talking to students from class, contacting the CURCA ambassadors or faculty fellows and/or posting flyers. Some departments on campus also hold seminars each semester where faculty collectively advertise research opportunities.
One way to maximize time management is to consider Discipline Based Education Research (DBER) in your classroom. You may also want to contact us to talk through strategies for incorporating research. In addition, CTLL and CURCA often offers teaching workshops that look at how to include undergraduate research. While research can be slow at first, small advances over time can lead to great projects and opportunities for students and faculty alike.