The Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship offers funding twice per year (fall and spring) in support of faculty-led undergraduate student research, scholarship, and creative activity. Faculty and students in all academic disciplines are encouraged to submit proposals.
Funds can be used to towards travel or the purchase of materials and supplies necessary for the project. Individuals may submit one proposal (travel or materials) per seasonal round.
See previously funded projects below.
All details are in the Call for Proposals.
Faculty may submit an application needed to conduct research or scholarly work OR an application for travel to conduct or present research or scholarly work in collaboration with one or more undergraduate students. Please note: Faculty must accompany the traveling student(s) to the research experience to receive funding from CURS. Review the Call for Proposals prior to submitting an application.
Faculty research projects must be submitted to the CURS Undergraduate Research Opportunity Portal by August 31st (Fall) / January 31st (Spring) to be reviewed for CURS funding. Documentation of research courses (ex. CURS 2990, HONR 3990H, or Department 4990) for students to receive funding. CURS abides by the add/drop deadline set forth by the Registrar's Office.
All details are in the Call for Proposals.
Undergraduate students may submit an application for travel to conduct or present research or scholarly work produced in collaboration with a faculty mentor.
Student travel grants must be student-written (a faculty mentor may review the proposal), and these submissions are weighed against other student applications. Review the Call for Proposals and evaluation rubric for guidance.
**Note that all travel grants, with the exception of registration fees, operate on a reimbursement basis. Travel must be completed and student must submit receipts in order to receive the granted funds.**
Documentation of research courses (ex. CURS 2990, HONR 3990H, or Department 4990) for students to receive funding. CURS abides by the add/drop deadline set forth by the Registrar's Office.
|
Timeline (Fall Round/ Spring Round) |
Materials (Faculty only) |
Travel (Faculty and Students) |
|---|---|---|
|
Deadline: Sep 15 / Feb 15 |
Faculty member applies for funding through CURS website. Must include CURS Materials Budget sheet. |
Faculty member/ Student applies for funding through CURS website. Must include AU Travel Authorization form and CURS Travel Budget sheet. |
|
September/ February |
CURS review process and notifications via email |
CURS review process and notifications via email |
|
First 2 weeks of October/ March |
Funds distributed to faculty department for purchase 1, 3 |
|
|
July - December / January - May |
|
Travel activity2 |
|
Approx. 1 week following TES submission |
|
Funds distributed to faculty/studentfor reimbursement |
|
May/ December |
Grant Final Report due
|
Grant Final Report due
|
Notes. Dates are based upon FY2026. Consult purchasing for AY27 deadlines.
1 Faculty member is responsible for abiding by all university purchasing deadlines and rules (April 4 - technology software; May 16 – purchase requisitions; May 2 - technology hardware purchases; May 27 - P-Card purchases)<
2 Travel Expense Statements (TES) and accompanying receipts must be submitted to CURS within 30 days after return. May 31 – last day for traveler to submit TES to CURS. First Friday in June 13- last day for CURS to submit Travel Expense Statements to Accounts Payable.
3 Note all software and technology purchases must be approved through IT request process before the purchase can be made. Allow ample time for this process.
Please contact CURS if you have any questions.
2025 Fall Grant Awardees
|
Faculty Mentor |
Department |
Student(s) |
Title of Project |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dr. Dawn Langley-Brady |
Nursing Science |
Brandi Bramwell |
The Effect of Zingiber officinale (ginger) Essential Oil on Pain-Pressure Threshold |
|
Dr. Stacy Bennetts |
Biological Sciences |
Nelson Lau |
Potential for saltwater bioremediation? An investigation of metal tolerance and accumulation in Spirulina |
|
Dr. Shogo Mori |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Katie Rounds |
Natural product discovery through gene mining |
|
Dr. Syed Adeel Zaidi |
Vascular Biology Center |
Rinu Sabu |
Role of ornithine decarboxylase in retinopathy of prematurity |
|
Dr. Deborah Jehu |
Community and Behavioral Health Sciences |
Kelvyn Owolabi, Nastia Zviagintseva
|
Predictors Of Falls In Older Males And Females With Concussion |
|
Dr. Faith Wiley |
Biological Sciences |
Temmie Siebert |
Development of a Detoxification Assay in Lumbriculus variegatus (Blackworm) |
|
Dr. Robert Cromer |
Biological Sciences |
Alyssa LaFlammee |
Mercury Uptake in Wetland Plants |
|
Dr. Jennifer Bradford |
Biological Sciences |
Kayla Wilder |
Does CXCR3/CXCL10 Expression in Human Macrophages Change in an NF-kappaB Dependent Manner When Co-cultured With Triple Negative Breast Cancer? |
|
Dr. Matteo Borgini |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Khadijah Ladoo |
Optimization of First-in-Class Nrf2 Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment |
|
Dr. Siva Panda |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Holden Dinkins, FaithAnn Ferguson, Anshuman Khadanga |
Empowering Undergraduate Researchers Through Conference Engagement and Mentorship |
|
Student Travel Awards |
Major |
Mentor |
Mentor Title of Project |
|
Jasmine Baidoo |
Cell and Molecular Biology |
Dr. Evan Goldstein |
Oligodendrocyte Histone Methylation in Preterm Infants |
|
Aeris Xiong |
Neuroscience |
Dr. Evan Goldstein |
Prevalence of Oligodendrocyte H3K9me3 in Mice Housed in an Enriched Environment |
|
FaithAnn Ferguson |
Chemistry |
Dr. Siva Panda |
Design And Synthesis Of Diarylpiperidinone Conjugates: A Potential Therapy For Skin Cancer |
|
Brandi Bramwell |
Kinesiology |
Dr. Dawn Langley-Brady |
The Effect of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) Essential Oil on Pain-Pressure Threshold |
2026 Spring Grant Awardees
| Faculty Mentor | Department | Student(s) | Title of Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Raoul Pacheco | Art & Design | Dayna Thompson; Nikki Gibau; Floe Maddox; Brianna Quick; Christina Tobias; Caroline McCall | Undergraduate Ceramic Research And Professional Pathways In Contemporary Practice |
| Dr. Matteo Borgini | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Elijah Corn; Khadijah Ladoo; Emyl Ayala-Cosme | Accessing The 5-Methylene-3-azabicyclo[5.1.0]octan-4-one Scaffold Via Strain-Release-Driven Transformation For Covalent Drug Discovery |
| Dr. Theja DeSilva | Physics and Biophysics | Alexis Jenkins; Brooke Vos | Collective Properties of Interacting Particle Systems |
| Dr. Jennifer Bradford | Biological Sciences | Kayla Wilder | TiO2 Particles Alter Macrophage Function and Polarity in an NF-κB Dependent Manner |
| Dr. Trinanjan Datta | Physics and Biophysics | Brody Brogdon; Landon Spires | Investigating lattice-magnetism coupling of layered van der Waals magnets |
| Dr. Deborah Jehu | Community and Behavioral Health Sciences | Elizabeth Twakor-Nelson; Lydia Utomwen; Andrew Sujka; Radha Garikipati; Nastia Zviagintseva | The Effects Of Acute Exercise On Dual-task Postural Control |
| Student Travel Awards | Major | Mentor | Title of Travel Activity |
| Autumn Richards | Psychology | Dr. Sabina Widner | 72nd Annual Meeting for the Southeastern Psychological Association |
| Anastasiia Zviagintseva | Kinesiology | Dr. Deborah Jehu | Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, 2026 |
| Benjamin Streubel | Kinesiology | Dr. Andrew Craig-Jones |
Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, 2026
|
| Lydia Utomwen | Kinesiology | Dr. Deborah Jehu | Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, 2026 |
| Khadijah Ladoo | Biology | Dr. Matteo Borgini | American Chemical Society Spring Conference 2026 |
| Minho Shin | Post Baccalaureate | Dr. Shogo Mori |
American Chemical Society Spring Conference 2026
|
| Kayla Wilder | Cell and Molecular Biology | Dr. Jennifer Bradford | 87th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists |
| Kaycee Lock | Chemistry | Dr. Brian Agee |
American Chemical Society Spring Conference 2026
|
| Elijah Corn | Cell and Molecular Biology | Dr. Matteo Borgini | American Chemical Society Spring Conference 2026 |
| Reed Nesmith | Cell and Molecular Biology | Dr. Shogo Mori | American Chemical Society Spring Conference 2026 |
| Radha Garikipati | Cell and Molecular Biology | Dr. Deborah Jehu | Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, 2026 |
| Brooke Vos | Physics | Dr. Theja DeSilva | American Physical Society Global Physics Summit |
| Alexis Jenkins | Mathematics | Dr. Theja DeSilva | American Physical Society Global Physics Summit |