The Texas Student Research Showdown is a video competition for undergraduate researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. Student researchers create videos communicating their research or creative activity to a general audience. As selected by a panel of faculty judges, the top two videos in two categories (arts, humanities, and social sciences; science, technology, and engineering) will receive $2000 and $750 awards, and an “audience choice” winner selected by UT students will receive $1000. Student awards are provided through the generous support of Kimberly and Scott Martin.

The Showdown is open to any UT undergraduate involved in research or creative activity in any major. Your work can be an independent project, a team project, or a collaboration with a professor to which you have made substantive contributions. Even if your project is still in progress, we encourage you to consider a submission.

Feb. 18: Video submissions close
March 10: Winners announced at reception

To enter, read the full rules and submit your information through our online submission form.

There is a new literary prize in honor of distinguished UT history professor Dr. Toyin Falola. The prize is open worldwide to young people age 18-35 who are either born in Africa or have an African parent, and the winner will receive $700. All details are attached. As Dr. Falola’s home institution we were hoping to encourage applicants from UT.

This semester, LAUNCH is awarding at least two scholarships of $250.00–$500.00 each for those pursuing a research project in the College of Liberal Arts. The goal of the scholarships is to encourage the pursuit of personal initiatives within Liberal Arts research. These scholarships can assist in accomplishing the initial steps of a proposal, such as securing funding for data collection. If a specific need for a stipend is demonstrated, these scholarships can also act as a form of compensation.

Application link: LAUNCH Personal Initiative Research Scholarship Fall 2019

Deadline: Sunday, December 1st at 11:59 PM

The Liberal Arts Undergraduate Chapter for Research, or LAUNCH, is an organization dedicated to connecting undergraduate students with research opportunities within the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. LAUNCH aims to accomplish the following goals:

• Host faculty research presentations
• Organize chats, meetings, and events with professors conducting Liberal Arts research
• Publicize information about funding, scholarships, and presentation opportunities
• Create a network of undergraduate researchers in the College of Liberal Arts

We hope you consider taking advantage of this opportunity! Any questions or concerns can be directed to LAUNCH Chair, Tejas Medapalli, at cola.launch@gmail.com

Studying abroad in Spring 2020 or planning to do a Maymester in 2020?  Apply by November 21^st to receive consideration for an LAH study abroad scholarship.

Access the application through Global Assist: http://utdirect.utexas.edu/student/abroad/globalassist.WBX

Every month, the Diversity Committee of the Liberal Arts Council and the Liberator Magazine host the Perspectives Essay Competition focused on the diverse perspectives of UT students.UT students can submit a piece of writing that fits the theme of the month, and the winning piece will get a $20.00 visa gift card and will also be published on the Liberator website.

For this month, our topic is “My Environment: An Exploration of Your Relation to the Environment, Both Physical and Cultural.” The competition ends on September 24th at 11:59pm. Here is the link to the Facebook event: https://bit.ly/2lQbASS.

Additionally, here is the link to the information on the Liberator website: https://theliberatormagazine.com/perspectives-essay-competition/.

The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, through Student Success Initiatives, is now accepting applications for the 2019 University Co-op/George H. Mitchell Undergraduate Student Awards for Academic Excellence.

Each spring, UT Austin, with the generous support of the University Co-op, recognizes up to five undergraduate students for superior scholarly or creative achievement.

Two students receive awards of $2,500 each, two students receive awards of $5,000 each, and one student receives the top award of $12,000. In addition to the student award, the Provost’s Office provides a concurrent award of half the value of each student’s award to the academic department in which the scholarly work was supervised.

The application and all supporting materials must be received by March 27, 2019.

Nominees must be either a junior or senior currently enrolled at UT Austin or have received their undergraduate degree in December 2018. Students must demonstrate superior scholarly or creative achievement through a notable paper or thesis, research project, creative or artistic endeavor, or other product of the student’s academic work. Submitted work should be finished or close to finished (e.g. a complete draft of a thesis or research paper). Previous Mitchell Award recipients are eligible only if the submitted work is a completely different project.

Students will complete the application via Interfolio. The following materials are required:

1. The student project (paper, thesis, publication, video, artwork, etc.) in a single digital file. If the project is a video, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link in a Word or PDF document briefly describing the project and referencing the link.
2. A 1-2 page CV or resume highlighting activities and achievements during the student’s years of study at UT Austin.
3. A 1 page statement in which the student places his/her project in the context of their educational experiences at UT Austin and their future occupational work or graduate school plans. (limit 1 page, 12 point font)
4. A scanned copy of the student’s academic summary, which is available through the Registrar’s Office at no cost.
5. A confidential letter of recommendation from a faculty member at UT Austin. The student should request the letter from the recommender via Interfolio as soon as possible during the application process. The letter should be on departmental letterhead and should describe in detail how the applicant has demonstrated superior scholarly or creative achievement through a notable paper or thesis, research project, creative or artistic endeavor, or other product of the student’s academic work. In case of a collaborative project, describe the student’s contribution and why it is substantial. The committee will pay particular attention to the recommender’s explanation of the significance of the applicant’s work in the context of the relevant field of study.

The application link and more information can be found atprovost.utexas.edu/awards/mitchell.

If you have any questions, contact Kathy Uitvlugt at 512-475-9675 orkathy.uitvlugt@austin.utexas.edu.

The application for the Senate of College Councils Academic Improvement Scholarship is now open! This scholarship is meant for students who have significantly improved their GPA after having poor academic performance in past semesters.

To be eligible, you must have had a semester with a GPA lower than 2.75, and then improved your GPA by at least 0.5 grade points in the coming semesters. You also must have attended UT Austin for at least two semesters, and have a current cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Applications will be reviewed considering the following factors: financial aid status, past experiences (internships/careers), and involvement on campus and in the community.

There will be two $500 scholarships rewarded, and the deadline to apply is March, 1st, 11:59 pm. Interviews for finalists will take place on March 8th.

The link to apply: tinyurl.com/AIScholarship19

Direct any questions or concerns to senaterecruitmentandretention@gmail.com.