One of the best things about the Rider experience is the opportunity students have to collaborate with faculty. Whether it’s fine arts students directing, performing or lighting a stage production alongside faculty, Westminster students performing with a faculty conductor at the New York Philharmonic or a Biology student partnering in research with a fellow faculty scientist, you’ll be able to work, learn and have fun alongside our amazing Rider faculty.

Students interested in applying for Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards (URSA) should start planning now, discuss potential projects with a faculty sponsors and be ready to submit an application by Thursday, March 29, 2009.  The Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards program was established during the 2003-04 academic year to enhance collaborative work between students and faculty and to heighten the intellectual atmosphere on campus.  Students can work directly with faculty on joint research projects or on independent projects under the supervision of a faculty member.

Each year, the Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards Committee will present at least five, $5,000 research scholarships to students across the University, in the colleges of Business Administration; Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences; Continuing Studies; and Westminster Choir College.

For more information about the Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards program, contact Dr. Laura Hyatt assistant professor of biology and chair of the selection committee, at 609-895-5419 or lhyatt@rider.edu.  Pertinent information about the eligibility requirements, application process and the award itself follows.

Download the Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards application.

Eligibility Requirements

• At the time of application and through the project period, applicants must be matriculated students, in good academic standing, and in pursuit of their first bachelor’s degree at Rider University.
• Applicants from the College of Continuing Studies (CCS) must be enrolled and matriculated in CCS at the time of application. (Others must be full-time students at the time of application and remain so through the project period.)
• Applicants enrolled in the CCS must have completed at least 12 credits by the time the project is begun.  Otherwise, applicants must have previously completed at least 24 Rider credits.
• Applicant’s faculty sponsor must verify the applicant’s eligibility with the appropriate Dean’s Office.
  

Application and Selection Process

• Applications are due on March 29, 2009, the Thursday following spring break.
• Applicants must submit a description of the project and a timetable for completion.
• The faculty sponsor must submit a letter of recommendation.  This letter should be written in non-technical language that would be understood by a multi-disciplinary faculty committee.
• This letter should emphasize the student’s preparation for the project, the project’s contribution to student learning, the probability of completion in the proposed time, and expected outcomes such as paper, poster, or performance.
• The selection committee will normally support no more than one project in a given academic department or program and no more than two projects in a given school or college.
• The location in a given department, program, school or college is defined by the academic discipline of the project, not the student’s major or school/college of registration.
• The goal is to distribute awards across a wide representation of academic disciplines.