Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Award
The Student Undergraduate Research Council (SURC) is pleased to announce the Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Award (DURA). This award recognizes outstanding academic research by undergraduates at the University of Central Florida.
- A certificate and an Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) poster tube holder
- Acknowledgment of their award in the monthly OUR electronic newsletter and on the OUR website in our monthly highlight
- Recognition at the Research Week Awards Ceremony in April, and in the Student Scholar Symposium program
Students are eligible to apply if they:
- Have at least one complete semester of research experience
- Be in good Academic Standing
- Are not a current or previous member of the Student Undergraduate Research Council
Each month, a different winner will be recognized through our newsletter and social media. Applications are due in October and April for consideration. Please note that students are only eligible to receive the DURA once in their undergraduate career. If a student is not awarded the distinction during the semester the student applied, he or she may apply again with an updated application for consideration in the next semester.
After the application is submitted, faculty mentors will be contacted via email automatically and asked to endorse student applications the week after applications close. Applications are reviewed by the Student Undergraduate Research Council (current undergraduate researchers working in OUR) and winners will be notified via email by the end of the semester.
Apply here: https://ucf.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1921698
Simply follow the link, then sign on to the platform by clicking on “University of Central Florida Single Sign On (SSO)”. Then log in with your NID and NID password. From there, you will be able to access the application as well as the details and requirements.
Mentor of the Year Award
Current researchers are invited to nominate their outstanding faculty mentor for the Faculty Mentor of the Year Award sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Student Undergraduate Research Council (SURC).
Applications open in early Spring. SURC members select the winner of this award and present it at the Research Week award ceremony each Spring.
Nominations are due on February 9. Nominate your mentor here: https://ucf.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1925220
Simply follow the link, then sign on to the platform by clicking on “University of Central Florida Single Sign On (SSO)“. Then log in with your NID and NID password. From there, you will be able to access the application as well as the details and requirements.
Other Awards
Scholarships are given to projects at the annual Student Scholar Symposium. This event occurs yearly in the Spring and applications are due in January. Awards include the Judges’ Choice, Peer Choice, and Audience Choice Awards. Only students who apply, are accepted, and attend the Symposium event are eligible. Please visit the Research Week website to learn more about these awards and to see previous awardees.
The University of Central Florida Libraries founded the Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research in 2008 to celebrate the most outstanding article published in the Pegasus Review each year. Articles are assessed by a team of judges that includes past Pegasus Review editors, librarians, and other faculty members. Each annual winner receives a $250 stipend, which is announced during the award ceremony at the end of Research Week in March. Winning articles are highlighted in UCF’s Showcase of Text, Archives, Research & Scholarship (STARS) and a copy is sent to President Cartwright.
If you have contributed a poster to the Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence, or if you have conducted a research study you are proud of, consider turning your poster or project into an article and submitting it to the Pegasus Review for publication. For more information about the journal, please consult their submission guidelines.
Research is a crucial component of applying to many of the most prestigious national and international awards, scholarships, and fellowships. Undergraduate Researchers are encouraged to contact the university’s Office of Prestigious Awards to learn more about the different types of opportunities including the Fulbright, Goldwater, and many summer off-campus opportunities.