The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) announces the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Summer 2021 Scholarships to promote undergraduate research.

Research Period:  June 1, 2021 – August 10, 2021

Application Deadline:  Friday, March 5, 2021

Focus: The UROP program promotes intensive undergraduate research opportunities for university students. Through these research experiences, our goal is to enhance the recruitment and retention of undergraduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines, particularly those related to solar energy and its effects on water resources and the environment in general.

Eligibility: Undergraduate students enrolled full time (1-3 credits for summer) at any NSHE institution during the time they are conducting their research. Scholar must have a NSHE faculty mentor to supervise their research project. Past recipients of a NSF-EPSCoR undergraduate research scholarship under the current NEXUS award are not eligible to apply.

Students working in areas of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM), except for medical sciences, are eligible. Fields related to solar energy, water and/or environmental research are of special interest. Students with research tied to medical sciences are encouraged to apply for the National Institutes of Health IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (NIH INBRE). For more information, visit http://www.unr.edu/inbre.

Students applying for the NSF EPSCoR UROP scholarship are strongly encouraged to participate in the Application Writing Workshop series.  Due to COVID-19, writing workshops will be presented virtually in three different sessions:

The SMART Polymer Composite Materials and Structures Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA is currently accepting applications. This 10-week program will run from May 24 – July 30, 2021. Participants will receive mentoring from faculty in LSU’s chemistry, mechanical engineering, and civil engineering departments.

A completed application consists of the online application with 500 word essay, transcript, and recommendation package, which must be submitted by the deadline of March 1, 2021. 

Application materials should be uploaded online; however, if experiencing technical difficulties, they may be sent to Dr. Kristen Williams. 

Benefits include: $600/week stipend, on-campus housing, if needed, up to $500 travel reimbursement, dining card provided.

The Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas hosts the From Bench to Market: Engineering Systems for High Efficiency Separations Research Experience for Undergraduates (Separations & Commercialization REU). The Separations & Commercialization REU program will offer research experiences in laboratories that are working towards the goals of improving separation efficiency and reducing separation processing costs to a diverse group of undergraduate students. Participants will interact with faculty and graduate students to plan and execute a 10-week research project. A unique component of this REU program is the commercialization assessment training (CAT) series that will prepare them to think about the potential commercialization of traditional hypothesis-driven research early in the process. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with industry leaders in the separation field through the CAT series, industrial mentorships, as well as industrial site visits locally and in Texas.

In summer 2021 the Department of Computer Science at Boise State University will host a nine-week interdisciplinary undergraduate research program, Data-driven Security, focusing on applying data science and artificial intelligence to mitigate cyberattacks and other security risks and threats. Applications from current undergraduate students who have a strong interest in computer science, mathematics, or engineering are welcomed. This intensive program will expose up to ten undergraduate students to topics in cybersecurity (intrusion and threat detection, lightweight cryptography, side-channel attacks), misbehavior detection, national security (e.g., counter-terrorism), and misinformation mitigation. The program aims to immerse undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds in all facets of research in computer science and mathematics in a culture of close and daily collaboration with faculty.  

The Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno is offering a NSF-supported 10-week Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Collaborative Human-Robot Interaction (CHRI). The site will develop new autonomous robot capabilities and supporting network and data science technology to address real-world challenges of operating autonomous systems in hospital, clinic, home, and infrastructure environments.

In addition to participating in a hands-on orientation week, students will also participate in workshops on how to write an application for graduate school and how to write an application for a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF). Students will participate in a research project, prepare a written report on their project, and present to the University’s undergraduate research symposium.

Award Information:
* $5,000 stipend for 10 weeks
* On-campus housing provided
* Food allowance
* Round-trip travel expenses up to $800