Project ideas can come from a number of different places. Your idea may come from a course, from the research, scholarly or creative interests of a faculty member, or from an idea of your own. You may work either within or outside your major field or on an interdisciplinary topic.
The Faculty Research Directory provides brief summaries of faculty scholarly, creative, and research interest. This is just a place to start. The most important thing you can do is to talk with the faculty. You will be amazed at how much interest a faculty member will show in you if you show some interest in a faculty member’s scholarly pursuits or simply indicate an interest in wanting to learn something outside the classroom.
If you have an idea you would like to pursue but are not sure which faculty member might be interested in your particular idea, talk with the appropriate departmental chair. Departmental chairs will be able to help you identify an interested faculty member.
In general, URSA grants will NOT be awarded to support a class assignment or class project. URSA grants are intended to encourage and stimulate student-faculty interactions and work that extend beyond the normal classroom. There is an expectation that when URSA support is provided the work will lead to a presentation at a regional or national meeting, or to a performance or exhibition of the work, or to a publication.
When thinking about developing a project that would be supported by an URSA grant, one approach you might want to consider is to continue or extend a project that initially began as a class assignment. Your previous class work would provide you with preliminary ideas, data, library research, etc. upon which to base further studies. That preliminary work would be an excellent foundation upon which to build an URSA proposal.
Please feel free to stop by the URSA office or call (270-809-3192) for assistance. We want you to find an appropriate opportunity and we are willing to help.
Step 2: Discuss Your Project with Your Faculty Sponsor