Greetings from SDUR!

It’s hard to believe it, but it’s already April! There’s no fooling around here at SDUR as we look ahead to the rest of spring, especially as we approach the Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end of this month.

In this month's edition, we feature plenty of opportunities to look into as the second half of the school year gets rolling. Read on for updates on all things SDUR—nationally competitive scholarships, undergraduate research information, and details on the McNair Scholars Program. Many information sessions will take place between March and April for many of the scholarships, but for more information, click here to visit the SDUR website, click here to follow our SDUR Instagram, or click here to email us at SDUR@k-state.edu.

Enjoying the April showers and waiting for May flowers,
The SDUR Team
Click here to learn more about us!

Celebration Corner

Congratulations to SDUR’s own Vivian Nguyen, who was selected as a Goldwater Scholar for the upcoming year! Her work and determination got her here, and we know she’ll continue to do great things!
Click here to visit the Goldwater website and view all recipients.

Undergraduate Research

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Teams

SDUR is excited to share a new way for students in all majors to join a research team and participate in applied learning. Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) is a transdisciplinary, project-based learning model designed to increase undergraduate research participation in faculty-led research project teams. Students earn academic credit while growing from a learner to a leader on a VIP team over multiple semesters.

How VIP Works:

• Student fills out the VIP Student Interest Form

• Once accepted onto a team, students will be given instructor permission to register for 1-2 credits a semester at the 300, 400, or 600 level. Each credit equals approximately 45 hours of work (3 hours/week) for the semester. If taking additional elective credits is a financial barrier to a student, SDUR has funds for scholarshipping credit hours while we work to integrate these VIP team(s) course options into degree programs.

• Students are encouraged to grow from learner to leader on a team over multiple semesters. VIP teams have three course numbers for students to enroll in as they gain experience: URES 300, 400, and 600.

• Students are not expected to have prior research experience! The VIP model makes it easier for students to join a research team earlier in their undergraduate career.

The inaugural K-State VIP Team, Groundwater Quality Geopaths, led by Dr. Matt Kirk and Dr. Helene Avocat, is enrolling now for Fall 2026. For more about this team, watch this short video at this link.

This team will:

• Explore groundwater quality in private wells in Kansas
• Collect groundwater samples and analyze their chemical and bacterial compositions
• Analyze data to show regional trends, and share findings at local conferences

Who should join?

• Students interested in water quality and data analysis.
• Students who are passionate about protecting the health and environment of Kansans.

This team is a great fit for many different majors!

Did you read this recent K-State Today article about well testing and think to yourself—“This is such important work—I wonder if there are opportunities for students to be involved?” This is it!

Follow up if you have more questions: sdur@ksu.edu

Undergraduate Research Amplification Project (URAP)

The Undergraduate Research Amplification Project, funded by Student Governing Association, offers 10 undergraduates $2,000.00 to support their unfunded, student-directed research project for one academic year. Students are expected to engage in 6-10 hours per week of research-related activities, to regularly engage with SDUR staff for advising, and to present their findings in the Spring Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Symposium.

The deadline for the 2026-2027 application is Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. Click here to visit the SDUR website for more information.

Advertising Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Do you know of a team that has openings for undergraduate researchers? SDUR can help advertise research opportunities. Research teams with open spots can fill out this Qualtrics form and the opportunity will be shared on our resource list.

Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium

Volunteer to Be a Symposium Undergraduate Research Champion

The SDUR Team is looking for K-State faculty, staff and graduate students to serve as Undergraduate Research Champions for the presenters at the Spring Symposium. Champions will be assigned 5-10 researchers to interact with during the event, ensuring that each student interacts with someone outside of their current cohort. Research Champions should be prepared to ask questions and engage with presenters. Click this Qualtrics link to apply..

Advertise at the Research Resource Table during the Spring Symposium

Do you have informational flyers, handouts, swag, or material to share about your research lab, summer research experiences, leadership opportunities, scholarship programs or scholarly or pre-professional student groups? The SDUR Team will have a Resource Table at the Spring Symposium in the Bluemont Room—folks who want to have material displayed on this Resource Table can either drop off materials in the SDUR office (336 Hale Library) before April 23, or drop by during the Symposium on April 23 to display your materials.

TRIO McNair Scholars Program

The KSU McNair Scholars Program is in an exciting season!

We congratulate two members of McNair's 30th cohort on their acceptance to graduate programs. Mihwa Gassett plans to begin the MSW program at the University of Kansas in fall 2026; Madison Neal will likewise begin the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development MSc program at University College Dublin in the fall. They will join their fellow cohort members Layla Hood and Jonathan Dennard in beginning graduate studies during the spring 2026 and fall 2025 semesters. We are so proud of cohort 30's accomplishments, along with the accomplishments of scholars in this cohort who will continue their time at KSU during fall 2026.

The 31st cohort of McNair scholars, who began the program this spring, are hard at work with faculty mentors to design the research projects they'll be carrying out during their summer research internships. We are impressed by the progress we've seen, and we look forward to seeing their growth continue throughout the semester!

SDUR Research and Travel Grants

Each semester, SDUR opens applications for funding for research and travel. Fall applications open in September and close in November. Fall funds are intended for research or travel from October 1 through March 31. Spring applications are intended for summer and fall research or travel from April 1 through September 30.

Nationally Competitive Scholarships

Upcoming Scholarship Information Sessions

Adventures After Graduation: Post-Graduate Scholarships for Juniors and Seniors

April 14, 4:00 – 5:00 PM, Hale 307

Fulbright US Student Award Information Session

April 16, 3:30 – 4:30 PM, Hale 109

Fulbright US Student English Teaching Assistantship Information Session

April 20, 4:00 – 5:00 PM, Zoom

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Information Session

April 28, 4:00 – 5:00 PM, Zoom

Fulbright National Presentation with K-State Advisors

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 2:00 – 3:00 PM, register here

Questions regarding information sessions may be directed to sdur@ksu.edu
Click here to view all upcoming NCS events.

Featured Opportunities

Harry S. Truman Scholarship Deadline Extended

The campus deadline for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for Public Service has been extended to Friday, April 10th.

Visit the SDUR website for information on the Truman scholarship.

GMCF Scholarship Opportunities

The Greater Manhattan Community Foundation (GMCF) administers a variety of scholarship opportunities for residents of Manhattan, Riley County and the greater Flint Hills region who meet various criteria. Click here to see their current opportunities, including the AAUW Scholarship for non-traditional female students. AAUW application deadline: April 17. Other application deadlines vary.

Thermo Fisher Scientific

To provide educational opportunities for future generations of science scholars, the TFS scholarship funds undergraduate and graduate STEM students enrolled in an accredited college for 2025-2026. One $10,000 award and five $5,000 awards. Click here for more information or to apply.

Deadline: April 30th

Beyond SDUR

This section features opportunities beyond SDUR’s purview. If you or your organization wishes to advertise for upcoming opportunities, please contact SDUR@ksu.edu by the 25th of the month to be featured in the following month’s letter. Please include:

• A brief description of the opportunity as you would like it listed

• Relevant dates, links, and contact information

• ‘SDUR Newsletter Contribution’ in the subject line

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