Greetings from SDUR!

Happy February from Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research! We hope you’ve had a productive, exciting start to the spring semester.

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 February 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 email us at SDUR@k-state.edu.

The groundhog may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but spring is in full swing here at SDUR. Thanks for joining us!

Warm regards,
The SDUR Team
Click here to learn more about us!

 

Celebration Corner

K-State's nominees have been selected for the Goldwater Scholarship, one of the most prestigious in STEM—all four are native Kansans, with three from SW Kansas, three with community college backgrounds, and three first-gen students. Click here to read more about our nominees, and join us in wishing them the best of luck in becoming Goldwater scholars!

We’d also like to take a moment to welcome our two newest graduate research assistants—Rylie Morgan with SDUR and Hector Guevara with McNair. They’re already hard at work on the third floor of Hale, and we look forward to building an even better SDUR with their help!

 

Undergraduate Research

Finding Paid Summer Research Opportunities

Students, are you interested in paid summer research opportunities? Many summer research programs (REUs, SIPs, and many more) are advertising now with application deadlines in December and January. We have created a ​resource list at this link​ to help you find paid summer research programs close to home or across the country.

Applications open for University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research

The University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research has been established to recognize outstanding individual contributions to the development of undergraduates in research projects at Kansas State University. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research.

The University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research recipient will be awarded a plaque and prize of $4,000.00. This award will be presented at the Spring Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Symposium, held on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

Faculty who are eligible for this award may be nominated by K-State faculty, students, staff or administrators. Any questions can be directed to the Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research team at SDUR@k-state.edu.

More details about the awards and the nomination form are available at this link.

The deadline for nominations is Feb. 15, 2026.

Applications open for the University Awards for Distinguished Student in Undergraduate Research

The University Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research has been established to recognize outstanding individual contributions in research for the purpose of the discovery and creation of new knowledge at K-State. The award is for an undergraduate student who has demonstrated excellence in research in any field of study.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2026 Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research Award.

The Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research Award recipient will receive an engraved plaque and prize of $1,000.00. This award will be presented at the Spring Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Symposium, held on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

Students who are eligible for this award may be nominated by KSU faculty, students, staff, or administrators. Any questions can be directed to the Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research team at SDUR@k-state.edu.

More information and the link to nominate can be found at this link.

The deadline for nominations is February 15, 2026.

Registration--Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Symposium

Registration for the Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium is now open! The Symposium offers undergraduate students a valuable opportunity to showcase their research and to practice communicating their findings to a broad audience. This year the symposium will be part of One K-State Research Week (April 17-24).

This year’s Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 23rd, 2026 with registration open from now until March 27, 2026.

Advertising Undergraduate Research Opportunities

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

TRIO McNair Scholars Program

The KSU McNair Scholars Program is currently accepting applications for our 2025-2026 cohort.

The McNair Scholars Program is a comprehensive two-year program structured to prepare undergraduates for successful careers as graduate students, professors, and professional researchers. Eligibility criteria are available here, and the application link is available here.

Although the December 1 application deadline for the McNair Scholars Program has passed, applications will be considered until the 2025-2026 cohort is filled. Students interested in joining the program should reach out to mcnair@ksu.edu to speak with program staff to determine eligibility status and to discuss potential next steps for applying.

 

Nationally Competitive Scholarships

Upcoming Scholarship Information Sessions

British Scholarships Information Session

February 5, 4:00 – 5:00 PM, Hale 334

British Scholarships Information Session (Virtual)

February 11, 3:30 - 4:30 PM, Zoom

Scholarships for International Students

February 17, 12:00 – 1:00 PM, Zoom

Truman Scholarship for Public Service Information Session

March 5, 3:30 – 4:30 PM, Hale 334

Truman Scholarship for Public Service Information Session (Virtual)

March 11, 4:00 – 5:00 PM, Zoom

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

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

Featured Opportunities

Chapman Scholarship

The Mark Chapman Scholars Program helps promising Arts and Sciences students fund meaningful summer projects or activities early in their undergraduate careers. Mark Chapman created this program in 2008 when he recognized that, although students can often identify exciting possibilities for personal and professional growth, finding the funding for these opportunities is often a challenge, particularly early in college. The Chapman Scholars program remedies this by providing five awards of $5,000 each year: $3,000 to fund a proposed summer activity and $1,000 per semester in the following academic year. It also requires a reflective writing component in order to help students better understand and articulate the value of their experiences.

Click here to learn more about the Chapman scholarships.

Deadline: March 3

Scholarship and Funding Opportunities

Fulbright Summer Institute

The Fulbright UK Summer Institutes are three-to-four-week programs for US undergraduate students, who have no or very little travel experience outside North America. Participants can explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK while experiencing higher education at a UK university. Depending on the Institute, students will have the opportunity to:

• Study alongside leading academics and professionals

• Develop knowledge in specific fields

• Experience cultural and social events

• Visit UK cultural sites and areas of scenic beauty

• Receive credit to transfer to their home institution

• Meet people from different backgrounds and cultures

• Become an ambassador

Click here to learn more about the Fulbright Summer Institutes.

Deadline: February 2

Fund for Education Abroad

Provides scholarships and ongoing support to students with financial need who are underrepresented among the U.S. study-abroad population.

Click here to learn more about the FEA.

Deadline: February 4

Samuel Huntington Public Service Award

The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides $30,000 stipends for graduating college seniors to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding to graduate school or a career. Projects that have the potential to be sustainable are favored, and therefore many of the projects initiated by past award recipients continue to benefit people today.

Click here to learn more about the Samuel Huntington Public Service Award.

Deadline: February 9

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Every year, HSF selects 10,000 outstanding students as HSF Scholars from a broad and talented pool of applicants. HSF Scholars have access to a full range of invaluable Scholar Support Services, including career services, mentorship, leadership development, knowledge building, and wellness training. Career services include access to select internship and job opportunities with HSF corporate partners. HSF Scholars are eligible to apply for all Scholar Conferences including, the STEM Summit, Finance Conference, Media & Entertainment Summit, Entrepreneurship Summit, and Healthcare Summit. HSF Scholars may also be eligible to receive a scholarship, which range from $500-$5,000 and are awarded directly to students.

Click here to learn more about the HSF.

Deadline: February 15

English Teaching Flagship Awards in Taiwan

The Foundation for Scholarly Exchange and Taiwan’s Ministry of Education created the ETF opportunity to provide “English-friendly classrooms across Taiwan.” Participants will serve as teaching assistants in public elementary schools, junior high schools, or special programs, contributing to students’ global outlooks and fostering meaningful learning experiences throughout Taiwan.

Click here to learn more about the Taiwan ETA program.

Deadline: March 1

McKelvie Scholarship

Promoting and strengthening public service leadership in the public sector, including local, state, and federal government employment or careers. Ten to fifteen scholarships ranging up to $2,000 are awarded each year. Midwest students are eligible to apply through the University of Nebraska. When asked about ID number type in all 0’s or N/A.

Click here to learn more about the McKelvie scholarship.

Deadline: March 1

TAPIF - English Teaching in France

TAPIF works with France Éducation international (FEI) to place language assistants in classrooms of all ages across metropolitan France, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and La Réunion. The seven-month contracts, which can be renewed twice (consecutively or not), enable young adults to gain valuable classroom experience, improve their French language skills, and immerse themselves in the francophone world.

Click here to learn more about TAPIF. Deadline for November Contract: March 15

 

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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