Explore exciting opportunities at the Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement! CURE provides a range of competitive grants to fuel your undergraduate research pursuits. The awards are open to all undergraduate applicants, regardless of status of FAFSA eligibility.

Prepare to showcase your work with the CURE Conference Travel Award, designed to support students to present their research at conferences and professional gatherings. Additionally, CURE fellowships support summer research projects under the guidance and mentorship of a University of Oregon faculty mentor (instructor). CURE also offers a small grant fund to assist eligible students with research-related expenses. Discover how CURE can empower you to advance your research goals!

The following awards and opportunities are available:

• First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) Award » provides first-year undergraduate students (including transfers students in their first year at the UO) the opportunity to engage in research and creative work
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship » funds undergraduate students (who are not in their final year of study) to conduct full-time summer research for 8 weeks minimum under the supervision of a UO faculty member
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Humanities » funds undergraduate students (who are not in their final year of study) and are focused on research in the Humanities to conduct full-time summer research for 8 weeks minimum under the supervision of a UO faculty member
• Conference Travel Awards » supports undergraduate students who are attending and/or presenting at academic and professional conferences and symposia. Applications are no longer accepted for 2023-2024 academic year and will re-open in July for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please email CURE at uocure@uoregon.edu with any questions.
• Undergraduate Research Small Grant » offers funding for research related expenses, such as materials, supplies, minor equipment, and processing fees, as well as travel costs. Applications are no longer accepted for 2023-2024 academic year and will re-open in July for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please email CURE at uocure@uoregon.edu with any questions.
• Faculty Research Mentor Award » recognizes up to four UO faculty members annually for their exceptional mentoring of undergraduate research, creative work, and experiential learning

CURE launched FYRE in 2020 to provide first-year undergraduate students (including transfers students in their first year at the UO) the developmental opportunity to explore and engage in research and creative work. This fellowship annually funds students who are in their first year at UO. This year, recipients will receive $5000 and their research faculty mentor will receive $1000. FYRE recipients are expected to perform full-time summer research for 8 weeks minimum under the mentorship of a UO faculty member. CURE invites students from all schools, colleges, majors, and minors to apply for FYRE, including the humanities, arts, social sciences, and sciences. The application due date is March 13, 2025.

The applicant is asked to have a faculty mentor identified and a research proposal at the time of application. CURE invites students seeking to connect with a prospective faculty mentor to meet with our team (visit open hours or by appointment) so that we can work with them to provide guidance, resources, and support.

FYRE Recipient Valerie Dagley

What was a highlight of your experience conducting research?

"I really enjoyed getting together with the other award recipients to talk about our research progress over the summer. It helped to prepare me on how I should present my research, and gave me a better idea of the expectations of the program."

What is the most valuable skill you gained through this experience?

"I really enjoyed being empowered to learn and utilize complex subjects and tools for my research. I think this experience has taught me how to learn how to use complex tools on my own. It has also taught me how to present my work in a semi-formal manner to a larger audience."

How has your FYRE experience affected your academic and/or career trajectory?

"The CURE FYRE program helped me to solidify my interest in research as a career goal. I came into college knowing that I wanted to pursue Computer Science, but I was unsure of what specifically. After completing this research program, I know that I want to go into high performance computing research specifically after college."

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The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) funds students, of any class standing, to conduct full-time summer research for 8 weeks minimum under the supervision of a UO faculty member. This year, SURF recipients receive a $5000 stipend and faculty mentors a $1,000 stipend. CURE invites students from all schools, colleges, majors, and minors to apply for SURF, including the humanities, arts, social sciences, and sciences. The application due date is March 13, 2025.

The applicant is asked to have a faculty mentor identified and a research proposal at the time of application. CURE invites students seeking to connect with a prospective faculty mentor to meet with our team (visit open hours or by appointment) so that we can work with them to provide guidance, resources, and support.

SURF Recipient Zoey Bailey

“This project empowers me to value my own questions. I found so much satisfaction in bringing an idea to fruition and feel motivated to pursue future research in a graduate program exploring the complex effects of fire in West Coast ecosystems. I am grateful that academia values and supports curiosity so generously. Thank you so much for your trust and support!”

 

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In 2024 the Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement (CURE) and Oregon Humanities Center (OHC) launched a new partnership to support undergraduate research and creative work in the humanities and arts. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Humanities (SURF-Humanities) is open to students of any class standing.  Fellows conduct full-time summer research for 8 weeks minimum under the supervision of a UO faculty member, and participate in CURE summer co-curricular workshops on academic and career development topics, as well as an end-of-summer Works-in-Progress presentation gathering.  All SURF-Humanities fellows present at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. This fellowship offers $5000 to each recipient and $1000 to their faculty research mentor.  Five fellowships were awarded in the inaugural year.  CURE and OHC performed specialized outreach and relationship-building with faculty in the humanities and arts to promote the fellowships and encouraged faculty to consider the opportunity for the fellowships to function as a research assistantship for students supporting faculty research as well as independent student projects.  The application due date is March 13, 2025.

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The purpose of this award is to support undergraduate students in their academic and professional development by attending and/or presenting at academic and professional conferences and symposia. Conference participation represents an integral element of the scholarly process, as well as graduate school and career exploration--from practicing how to communicate your work to networking with peers, faculty, professionals, and experts in your academic disciplines and career fields. The award is available to students in any of the University of Oregon’s eight undergraduate schools and colleges. CURE defines research and creative work expansively to encompass the social sciences, humanities, sciences, creative and performance arts, as well as the professional schools. Ten travel awards will be granted per year, with three awards designated for National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) presenters in the spring.  Award funds may not be reserved pending conference acceptance to present.  Applications are considered on first-come-first-serve basis, and may not be guaranteed. NOTE: Please plan to apply at least 6 weeks prior to your conference date. Applications are considered on a rolling basis and Applications are considered on a rolling basis and no longer accepted for the 2023-2024 academic year. Please email uocure@uoregon.edu with any questions.

Award Recipient Kaiden Walton

What is the most valuable skill you gained through this experience?

"I'm still very new when it comes to networking, and this conference was a great way for me to practice that skill and become more confident in meeting people in similar fields to mine. Practicing time management and gathering materials for application processes are always valuable skills."

How will this experience affect your academic and career trajectory?

"As a queer STEM major, it's difficult navigating a field that's historically been dominated by cisgender and heterosexual individuals. The Out in STEM Conference serves as an amazing reminder that you can be queer and be successful in STEM. Spaces like these are an important motivator for my own professional career, and encourage me to continue aiming high for the future not only for myself, but for fellow LGBTQ+ scientists who might be doubting their own abilities."

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The Undergraduate Research Small Grant program, through CURE, offers funding for research related expenses, such as materials, supplies, minor equipment, and processing fees, as well as travel costs to research sites, such as field locations or archives and special collections.  The funding is offered to undergraduate students engaging in research and creative work in any field of study. Funding for travel to academic conferences is offered through the CURE Conference Travel Award, and not through this form. Applications are considered on a rolling basis and no longer accepted for the 2023-2024 academic year. Please email uocure@uoregon.edu with any questions.

CURE Small Grant Recipient Ashton Stith

What is a highlight of your experience conducting research?

"The highlight of my thesis was presenting a performance of choral music written by women in UO’s Beall Hall. I had spent nearly a year researching and selecting music, hiring instrumentalists, and recruiting and rehearsing a volunteer choir. Only about 9% of classical music that gets performed is by women, and I was so proud to present a concert of only women composers. There were also two songs on this program that had no freely available videos online, meaning that my thesis video (uploaded to my personal YouTube channel) contains the only available recordings of these songs. I hope the work I put into this project enables and inspires other musical directors to program more music written by women."

What is the most valuable skill you gained through this experience?

"Some of the most valuable skills I gained in this experience were humility when working with a choir of skilled musicians, as well as the ability to accept when things do not go according to plan. I also gained such empathy for the women whose music I programmed, and this project has inspired me to continue to be a voice for women in the field of classical music."

How will this experience impact your academic and career trajectory?

"Preparing and presenting this thesis has had a huge impact on my personal development as well as who I am as an educator. I learned many skills that will be expected of me as a teacher, from researching, choosing, and ordering repertoire to hiring instrumentalists, planning rehearsals, designing posters and programs, and working with production teams to stage a performance. I have grown more resilient as a musician, and learned to problem solve and change my approach when things don’t work the way I intended."

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The Faculty Research Mentor Award recognizes up to four UO faculty members annually for their exceptional mentoring of undergraduate research, creative work, and experiential learning. The Faculty Research Mentor Award is open to all full-time and part-time research and instructional faculty employed by the University of Oregon, which includes tenure related and career faculty, emerit faculty, library faculty, and officers of research, including research assistants, research associates, and postdoctoral scholars. Nominations are solicited widely from current students, alumni, faculty, and staff. The recipients are recognized as part of the Undergraduate Research Symposium in late May.  The awards include a $2500 prize, framed certificate, and profiles published in the Symposium Program Book and on the Undergraduate Research and Distinguished Scholarships website. This year's nomination deadline is May 2, 2024.

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