Applications for the Undergraduate Research Fellowship are closed. Stay tuned for more information on new undergraduate opportunities.

The Undergraduate Research Fellowship is intended to make research experiences more accessible to students who need them to pursue their academic or career goals.

The Research Fellowship will be awarded as a lump sum of $2,500. This can be used entirely as a stipend for the student, or partially spent on other research expenses (although we strongly encourage the faculty member nominating the student to offer other sources of support for the research, when possible).

We awarded two Research Fellowships in summer 2022. We will award one in Fall 2022, one in Spring 2023, and one in Summer 2023.
 

Eligibility

Any undergraduate student currently enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park may be nominated for a fellowship. The student must also be enrolled during the period of their fellowship (i.e., recent graduates are not eligible).

Any faculty member (including postdocs) who is a member of the Language Science Center is eligible to nominate a student who will be working under their supervision. (Graduate students may be an important part of the mentoring plan, but a faculty member must submit the nomination.)

Nomination package

1. A nomination cover sheet
2. A research statement (up to 500 words, not including references) authored by the nominated student, explaining:
   • the research project they will be working on;
   • specific objectives they plan to accomplish and a timeline for the period of the
   • how the funds will be used (if not simply as a stipend for the student).
3. A personal statement (up to 250 words) authored by the nominated student,
   • how the research experience will advance their academic or career
   • how the fellowship will enable their participation in the research experience.
4. A letter from the nominating faculty member addressing the student’s qualifications, the value of the research, a mentoring plan, and any other sources of financial support for the research.

Review criteria

A committee of LSC faculty members from multiple departments will review nominations for the fellowship and make a recommendation based on the following considerations:

• the quality and potential impact of the proposed research;
• the importance of the research experience to the student’s academic or career goals;
• financial need–the importance of the fellowship for enabling the student’s participation in research;
• the faculty member’s commitment of additional funds to support the student or the research.

Reporting

The student should present the results of their work in some venue (e.g. a lab meeting or lab poster session). They will also be asked to submit a brief summary (200-300 words) of their research progress and results within 4 weeks after the end date of the research fellowship.