Effective Fall 2020, the URECA Committee has implemented a new Team structure. The URECA Team program is designed to involve 2-4 students in intensive, high quality research or creative project experience.  Successful applications will describe a well-thought out approach in which each team member has a defined role, yet benefits from teamwork. The projects should include significant faculty participation with a strong mentoring component. 

Here are the key elements of the new team structure:

• Teams applications are available each semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer).  They are no longer confined to summer only.
• Teams may consist of undergraduates with varying levels of experience.  For example, a team could include (1) Assistant level student, (2) Silver level students, and (1) Gold level student, or some variation thereof.  Or, all team members can be at the same level (all Assistant).  
• The application process is a collaboration between the mentor and team members.  
  • The mentor will complete the application first and submit the following components of the proposal in 12-point font, single-spaced, (3) page maximum:
    • Letter of support for students who are seeking a Scholar level grant (Silver, Gold or Platinum), if applicable  (not included in 3-page max)
    • Introduction & purpose
    • Proposed team structure including meeting frequency, check-ins, etc.
    • A brief justification of why you selected the individual students and what you intend for the individuals to gain from the experience
    • Budget request, if applicable, $500 max per team - please justify your budget items, the cost including screenshots, and why the items are necessary to completion of your project.  
    • IRB/IACUC status (if applicable)
  • Each undergraduate team member will submit the following components of the proposal
    (page requirement depend upon the level at which the student is applying - Assistant/1-2 pages; Silver/Gold/Platinum/3-5 pages):
    
    • Connect how the project's outcomes align to your major and/or career goals
    • In your own words describe your individual role, responsibilities, and contributions to the project 
    • Background related to your specific role within the project in your own words
    • Methods
    • Personalized timeline outlining project milestones
    • Unofficial transcript.  Click HERE to view detailed instructions about how to find and add your unofficial transcript to your application.
    • Travel funding request, if applicable, $300 max per student.  This is to support travel necessary to carry out the research project or creative activity.  For example, if you are collecting kudzu samples and need to travel to various locations in TN, we can help with mileage reimbursement.  This is NOT for conference travel.  Please see the "Conference Travel" tab for available funding.

*Team applications must be filled out by the faculty mentor.  The mentor will upload their portion of the application and will list the names and emails of the individuals who will be working on their team.  Then, the application will route to each of the students to fill out their portion of the application.

The URECA Team application can be accessed here:  URECA Team Application

After submission, proposals are reviewed by the URECA committee and funded by the Undergraduate Research Center.

Review Criteria

Applications will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of how well the instructions are adhered to and the degree to which the application meets the outlined criteria. These criteria include a 50% score allocation to the faculty component of the application and a 50% score allocation to the student component.