Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Grants – RFP 2025

Summer Undergraduate Mentored
Research Grants
2025 Request for Proposals

Funds to support faculty- and graduate student-mentored
undergraduate research teams

 Application deadline: 5:00 P.M. ET on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024

Undergraduates interested in sustainability benefit from immersive research experiences that deepen their understanding of the role of research in advancing solutions to pressing sustainability challenges. Correspondingly, the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability is supporting faculty-led summer opportunities for undergraduates conducting sustainability research, structured as a pair of undergraduate researchers mentored by a graduate student and faculty principal investigator. By offering this tiered mentorship structure, proposed projects are intended prepare undergraduates to conduct independent research in a collaborative environment.

Proposed projects can align with any of Cornell Atkinson’s four priority areas: Advancing One Health, Reducing Climate Risk, Accelerating Energy Transitions, and Increasing Food Security. We particularly encourage projects that expose undergraduates to the pathway from academic research to external impact.

Award Information

• $14,000 to support 2 full-time Cornell undergraduate summer researchers
  (10 weeks @ 35 hours/week)
• $11,310  to support the summer stipend of a graduate student mentor
• Up to $2,000 for research-related supplies

Eligibility & Expectations

• Professorial faculty and non-visiting RTE (Research, Teaching, Extension) faculty with a primary appointment at Cornell University, in any college, may apply. See Cornell PI eligibility guidelines for more details.
• Undergraduate participants can be from any of Cornell’s colleges, and are eligible to participate any summer prior to graduation (i.e., have at least one semester of expected enrollment following their summer research).
• A graduate student mentor should be identified as a collaborator to work closely with the faculty PI and provide day-to-day interaction with undergraduates.
• The faculty PI and the supported graduate student are expected to be at the same research location as the undergraduates during most of the summer of the award.
• Research teams will present their work at a Cornell Atkinson undergraduate symposium near the start of fall semester.
• Faculty PIs will work with their department administration to recruit, hire, and pay graduate and undergraduate participants.

Award Timeline

• Oct. 21, 2024: Call for proposals
• Dec. 9, 2024, 5:00 P.M. ET: Deadline for proposal submission
• Jan. 31, 2025: Estimated notification date
• May 22, 2025: Earliest project start date

How to Apply

The application is brief and consists of 3 sections:

1. Online application form:
   • The form requests basic contact information, project title, etc.
2. Application text:
   • Upload a single PDF document (saved as PI Last Name-First Name.pdf, e.g. Johnson-Jody.pdf) and upload via the online application form. Your application text must include the sections described below.
3. Project budget:
   • Submit the budget using our budget spreadsheet (saved as PI Last Name-First Name.xlsx, e.g. Johnson-Jody.xlsx) and upload via the online application form.

Application Text Sections:  Four pages of text (11-point font or larger): one page for Title & PI information and Abstract (items 1-2) and up to three pages for items 3-8.  References can be listed separately beyond this page limit. PIs should also include a one-page CV (item 9). All files should be combined into a single PDF for uploading

1. Title & PI Information:
   • Proposal Title
   • PI name, position, and department
   • Graduate student mentor name, degree, and start date (month/year)
   • Cornell Atkinson Theme:  Accelerating Energy Transitions, Advancing One Health, Increasing Food Security, or Reducing Climate Risk
2. Abstract: A one paragraph summary of the proposed research and mentorship plan.
3. Description of Proposed Projects. Provide a brief description of the research projects and their alignment with Cornell Atkinson priority area(s). Most undergraduate research projects occur within the context of a broader research endeavor. Briefly introduce the broader research project (justification and background, main questions, general approach), then briefly describe distinct research projects for both of the two undergraduates within the context of this larger effort. By the end of the summer, each undergraduate should be able to articulate their respective specific research question(s), approach, results, and implications.
4. Recruitment Plan.  Include a description of plans for recruiting undergraduates, including those from diverse backgrounds and groups historically underrepresented in sustainability research, as well as strategies for forming an inclusive research environment for all personnel.
5. Undergraduate Mentorship Plan: Include a description of plans for how undergraduates will be meaningfully mentored for collaborative research. Briefly describe the structure, primary responsibilities, meeting frequency, etc. Sample resources on inclusive mentoring can be found at the Cornell Graduate School’s Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (FAIM) website.
6. External Partners: If the project includes any external organizations or individuals as partners, please briefly describe their role.
7. Timeline: Provide the ideal start and end dates of the project, including key activity milestones. Note: Typical 10-week summer undergraduate appointments run from the day after Memorial Day through early August, and graduate student summer appointments start May 22.
8. Budget Justification: Describe costs directly related to the project, including travel, materials, and supplies. On the budget template, please enter budget requests only in those rows left open, and please leave blank the row near the end for Indirect Costs; these will be calculated by Cornell Atkinson when necessary.
9. Curriculum Vitae: Provide a one-page CV for the project PI, highlighting the research and mentorship activities most relevant to this proposal.

All proposal materials MUST be received by 5:00 P.M. ET on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024

Please direct questions to: atkinson@cornell.edu, subject header: Mentored Research