Funding opportunities for undergraduate research

I2S is a program designed to enable undergraduates, especially sophomores, to work as assistants on faculty scholarly, creative, or research projects in all disciplines. Interns are paid for participation. Find out more about the I2S program.

This annual grant funds student-designed projects in all disciplines. Learn more about HURA.

The Urdea Undergraduate Research Awards fund interdisciplinary projects between students in the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences and the College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences.  Teams of 2-5 students may apply to receive up to $5,000 to support their work.  Learn more about the Urdea Undergraduate Research Award.

The Jean Shuler Research Mini-Grants are designed to encourage research, scholarly, and creative activities between undergraduate students and faculty mentors. Undergraduate students may submit a proposal for a student-led research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Jean Shuler Research Mini-Grants provide financial support up to $500 for consumable materials, training expenses, and/or travel expenses related to completing the project. Learn more about Jean Shuler Research Mini-Grants.

The Office for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity provides some funding for NAU undergraduate students or groups to present, attend, compete, or accept awards at regional, national, or international conferences. Learn more about Student Travel Awards.

The NASA Space Grant provides research opportunities for full-time NAU undergraduate students.  Through this program students are able to conduct meaningful research that furthers NASA’s mission with the help of a mentor while getting paid.  Learn more about the NASA Space Grant.

The Center for International Education funds the Global Learning Research Scholarship. This scholarship is intended to support undergraduate student engagement in research activities that address the themes of global learning. Students are expected to propose research topics from any discipline but these topics must substantially engage with (or reflect dimensions that address) at least two of the three themes of global learning, and one of these themes must be global engagement.

The three themes of global learning include:

• diversity
• sustainability
• global engagement

Awards of up to $1,000 are available for NAU undergraduates conducting research that meets the criteria. Learn more about the Global Research Scholarship and Internship program.

The Northern Arizona University Green Fund is NAU’s main source for sustainability funding. The Green Fund provides funding for projects that reduce the university’s environmental footprint and galvanize a culture of sustainability on campus. University students, staff, and faculty may submit project proposals to be reviewed and selected for funding by our committee of eight hired students supported by four staff and faculty advisors. Projects are supported by the $15 per student, per semester Green Fee, which adds up to a yearly budget that is upwards of $600,000. The Green Fund allows students to utilize their fee money to make the NAU campus a better place for themselves, their peers, and future students. At the end of the day, our mission is to promote student participation in and provide funding for projects that reduce NAU’s negative impact on the environment and create a culture of sustainability on-campus.

If you are interested in contributing to NAU’s sustainability efforts, you can follow the link to our website to find more information on how to submit a project proposal. Our committee will be reviewing project idea submissions throughout the school year while classes are in session. We look forward to hearing your wonderful ideas!

This annual award recognizes Northern Arizona University undergraduate and graduate students who have made an extraordinary effort to enhance the culture of sustainability on the NAU campus and surrounding community. Read more about the Henry O. Hooper Sustainability Cash Prize.

Find out more about WREP at Northern Arizona University, which provides student research in all fields related to environmental biology and resource management in the watersheds, riparian areas, streams, and rivers of Northern Arizona.

Visit the Department scholarships webpage to see what scholarship opportunities are available in colleges and departments:

The purpose of RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) funding is to support and research activities that enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research workforce. To this end, Northern Arizona University proposes to increase the number of Native American and other underrepresented scientists prepared to enter PhD’s in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields specifically related to environmental health. This program uses the drivers of culturally-relevant support, hands-on research experiences, and a tailored curriculum to increase the number of underrepresented undergraduates who successfully proceed to a master’s degree and master’s degree students who progress to the doctoral level.

Materials Science is a transdisciplinary field spanning medicine, physics, chemistry, to engineering. Materials Science makes an impact: from saving the environment, bringing renewable energy technologies to market, to creating new materials for medicine. ¡MIRA! faculty are diverse (50% under represented minority/50% women) and we created a center that is as equally good at creating world-class materials, as nurturing a world-class diverse workforce. We recognize our multicultural surroundings, and that resonates in our science. Come join ¡MIRA!, and bring your whole self!

Apply to the ¡MIRA! Scholars Program to get funding for a paid research assistantship with a ¡MIRA! faculty! It is a great chance for student to get hands on experiential learning, even if you have no prior lab experience. Any STEM student can apply (engineering included), you just have to do research with a ¡MIRA! faculty and the project must be in Materials Science. Learn more about the ¡MIRA! Scholars Program.

Established by Paul and Jenny Keim in 2020, the Keim Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research is designed to reward excellence in research by outstanding NAU students during their undergraduate studies, to reward student dedication and leadership to the pursuit of future research, and to encourage the participation of students in research endeavors.

The award will be made annually in the Spring Semester with a committee assembled by the Office of the Vice President of Research and the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute (PMI). All NAU undergraduate students involved in hypothesis-driven scientific research and with promise for future research careers are eligible. The award may be split up to 3-ways or not awarded at all in any particular year. It is recommended that the final disposition be made after the spring UGRAD symposium to allow the committee the potential to engage with the candidates.