Divisions – Psychology Student Awards

Psychology Undergraduate Student Research or Presentation Awards

The CUR Psychology Division is offering a limited number of research (e.g., supplies or expenses) or presentation (travel/conference registration) awards for undergraduate students conducting original psychological research (up to $400 per project).

Deadline

The deadline to apply was November 1, 2024. 

Eligibility Criteria

• The student must be an undergraduate at either a two- or four-year institution. If the student is a graduating fourth-year student, the presentation must be completed within three months of fall graduation or by June 15 for spring graduates.
  • If you are requesting funds for travel, you must check that your institution allows travel before applying. We cannot support travel that is not sanctioned by the home institution.

• The student’s mentor must be a CUR member, or the student’s home institution must be a CUR institutional member. Please reference the Member Directory.  
• The student(s) must be the primary investigator(s) on the project (e.g., honors project, student-directed independent study, etc.).
• If the research results in a publication or presentation, award recipients are required to acknowledge CUR for support of their research in their talk, poster, or paper.
• In the spring, the Chair of the CUR Psychology Division, Dr. Karen L. Gunther, will contact award recipients about submitting a short synopsis of their research experience to be included in our divisional spring newsletter and on the CUR website.

Application Procedure

An electronic application must be completed by the student applicant (one application per project). The student needs to request a letter of support from the faculty mentor.  Both documents must be received by the deadline for full consideration of the submission.

A letter of support from your faculty mentor is required to complete this application. In the letter, the faculty mentor will need to address the following:

• the role of the student(s) in the project’s development; 
• the impact of the research on the student(s) during their undergraduate training; 
• the estimated timeline of the project; 
• verification that the student’s itemized breakdown of the requested funds is realistic; 
• a list of other sources of funding currently available for the proposed project.

Award Notifications will be sent out the first week of December.

Selection Criteria

Research award recipients will be chosen based on the responses provided to each question, as well as the scholarly merit of the research plan. The description of the research plan should be written for a general psychology audience – please do not merely upload a conference abstract.  The description should contain the following information:

• An abstract (150-250 words long)
  • containing the study’s OBJECTIVE;
  • a description of the METHODS;
  • expected RESULTS;
  • a statement of SIGNIFICANCE;
• A statement (150-250 words) explaining the STUDENT(S)’S ROLE in the research;
• A statement (150-250 words) indicating how the research experience contributes to his/her/their LONG-TERM GOALS;
• A statement (100 words) explaining how the award will allow the student(s) to PARTICIPATE more fully in research;
• An itemized breakdown of the FUNDS.  If the project will cost more than $400 (the maximum of the CUR award), please explain the source(s) of the remaining funds; and
• A statement (150-250 words) outlining how the researchers or research project demonstrates a commitment and/or contribution to the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of psychology, if applicable.

Please note that while multiple applications from the same lab/mentor will be accepted, we will typically only fund one per lab/mentor in an application year.  Additional funding per lab may vary based on the total overall number of applications for the year.

Awardees

All CUR Award recipients are responsible for any and all applicable tax obligations associated with receipt of the award.

All students, faculty, mentors, organizations, and institutions honored with becoming a part of the CUR award recipient community, you have the professional and ethical responsibility to maintain the highest professional conduct standards and embody the CUR Code of Ethics for Undergraduate Research in your words, actions, and deeds. In addition, all participants are expected to abide by the CUR Code of Conduct. Expectations for awardees are to show courtesy and civility in both their personal and professional communications while forever representing CUR and the distinguished honor of the specific award rewarded. One must conduct oneself in a manner both professional and ethical.

Questions? 

Please direct questions to the Chair of the CUR Psychology Division, Dr. Karen L. Gunther.

Psychology Student Awards Recipients