Announcing the Spring 2016 Undergraduate Research Fellowship competition

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Spring 2016 Undergraduate Research Fellowship competition. You can click the link above to view the competition page, and review the details below as well.

• Internal Submission Deadline: Friday, January 22, 2016
• Award Cycle: 2015-16
• Evaluation Criteria: • Clarity and thoroughness of presentation (error-free, jargon-free, clearly labeled and explained) • Relevance to the applicant’s degree program and career plans. • Scientific, scholarly, or creative merit of the project. • Evidence of ability to carry out the project (as shown by accomplishments and letter of support) • Budget reasonably reflects the proposed project’s needs, is itemized and justified.
• For more information about the URF: http://www.utexas.edu/research/resources/awards-fellowships-grants
• Description: The purpose of the URF competition is to provide support for scholarly research projects conducted by University undergraduate students. Fellowships are intended to cover costs associated with research projects proposed and written by undergraduate student applicants and undertaken with the supervision of a University tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure track faculty member, or full-time Research staff member. The supervisor will attest to the appropriateness of the student’s research expenses throughout the project, and will need Principal Investigator (PI) status in order to request IACUC, IBC, or IRB approvals, if applicable. For a list of personnel titles that qualify as PI, please visit: http://www.utexas.edu/research/osp/osp_handbook.html#pis.
  Deadlines
  There are two opportunities to apply during the academic year. The next deadline is Friday, January 22, 2016. Awards will be announced in mid-February. URFs will expire August 31, 2016, unless the student graduates earlier, in which case the fellowship will expire on UT’s official commencement date. All funds not spent by the expiration date will revert back to the URF fund.
  Eligibility
  • Only UT students may apply.
  • Applicants must be enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 hours) at The University of Texas at Austin in a bachelor’s degree program or in the PharmD Program. Graduating seniors must provide full-time status certification by the Registrar’s Office or  academic advisor, if enrollment is less than 12 hours at time of applying.
  • URF awards are given once per student, per academic year, September 1^st – August 31^st. For instance, a student may re-apply again in the Spring, after an unsuccessful Fall application.
  • Previous URF recipients may apply in multiple years; however, the likelihood of receiving an award in two consecutive years is dependent upon funding constraints and the size and qualifications of the applicant pool.
  • Applicants must have a minimum overall in-residence UT GPA of 2.5.
  • Research projects must be independent. URFs will not fund UT-sponsored or specific class-associated research or travel (e.g., Study Abroad, seminars, etc.). Award limit is $1,000 per project. Applicant must meet eligibility requirements, and must  receive endorsement by the supervisor. Only one qualified supervisor is allowed per project.
• Information session: Wednesday, January 20, 2016, 11:00am to 12:00pm, FAC 328

Deadline: February 5, 2016

• Russian
• Polish
• Czech
• Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian
• Ukrainian
• Bulgarian
• Persian/Tajik*
• Turkish*
• Romani*
• Yiddish*

Other languages may be added pending approval on a case-by-case basis. FLAS awards are available for both academic year (in residence at UT) and summer studies (at UT, abroad or elsewhere in the US). See our non-exhaustive list of FLAS eligible language programs!

*Applicants pursuing Persian/Tajik, Turkish, Romani, and Yiddish or any other languages for which they seek approval must show applicability to the study of our region, which includes the Balkans/Southeast Europe, Central/Eastern Europe, the Baltic states, Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus or the former Soviet sphere of influence.

• Undergraduate AY & Summer FLAS Fellowship FAQs

• Data needed for the application form: name, status and classification at UT-Austin, UT issued EID, biographical and contact information, Texas residency status, citizenship information, academic information (major, department, advisor and contact information, GPA, etc), language of study and level of language study, career goal information, date of FAFSA submission, acknowledgments to release FAFSA information and abide by FLAS Fellowship requirements.
• Proof of FAFSA application submission (upload: screenshot or verification email) – NOT REQUIRED
• Two-page proposal addressing your interest in studying this language/area, how language study will aid your career and/or research goals. This may be single or double spaced, but is limited to two (2) pages! (Must include your name, EID, and which FLAS you are applying for on the statement, upload as PDF)
• Current CV limited to two (2) pages (upload as PDF)
• Copies of your current UT transcript, or most recent transcripts, if you are an incoming student (upload as a PDF).  Incoming graduate applicants must include a copy of their GRE scores (upload as a PDF).
• The names and email addresses of two (2) recommenders.
  NOTE: Applicants are responsible for providing correct email addresses and for giving their recommenders ample time (several weeks!) to agree to write and submit a letter of recommendation. It is preferred for recommendations to come from faculty and for at least one letter to speak to language learning abilities.
  Upon submission of the application form, recommenders will receive an email with a link, where they will upload their recommendation letters for you. Recommenders will have an extra week (until February 12th) to submit their letters for your application

• Undergraduate Academic Year FLAS 2015-16 Application Form
• Summer FLAS Fellowship 2016 Application Form

If you have any questions please contact:
Agnes Sekowski, FLAS Coordinator for CREEES
Office: BUR 440 (M-F ~10:30am-5:30pm)
The University of Texas at Austin
2505 University Ave, Stop F3600
Austin, TX 78712
Email: agnes.sekowski@utexas.edu
Tel. (512) 232-9123