Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (MURACE) Summer Research Funding

Call For Proposals


Student Deadline: April 14th, 2025 at 11:59 PM


Faculty Mentor Agreement & Approval Deadline: April 18th, 2025 at 11:59 PM


The opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in mentored research or creative activities is an important part of Georgia College & State University’s emphasis on transformative learning experiences. Many students engage in scholarship during the academic year, but the most intensive and rewarding work often occurs during the summer months when both the student and their mentor can devote more attention to their work without the pressures of regular semester commitments. This can be very challenging for students who need to earn income over the summer to support themselves.


MURACE Summer Scholarship Funding provides Georgia College & State University undergraduate students the opportunity to work on mentored research or creative projects for a minimum of 8 weeks over the summer while getting compensated for their time. By the end of the summer, students should be prepared to share their work at the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC) as well as a conference in the discipline of the project. Projects from all disciplines are welcome.


The 2025 MURACE Summer Scholarship award amount before taxes and mandated deductions is $3,000 for each student recipient and $1,000 for mentors. Any full-time member of the teaching faculty is eligible to serve a a mentor for undergraduate students. Faculty must be actively engaged in mentoring students and on-site at GCSU for the duration of the 8 weeks (at minimum). Faculty may mentor any number of student research projects, but can only receive a maximum of $2,000 for mentoring multiple students who receive funding. An additional $500 is available to purchase supplies related to the project.

Acknowledgements

MURACE Involvement

This can include involvement with the Student Research Circle, presenting at Research Day, receiving funding through MURACE, etc.

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Guidelines for Acceptable Projects

In reviewing applications, acceptable projects will include at least one of the following:

  • Original scholarship designed in conjunction with the primary mentor, to which the student will contribute substantial research and analysis or application of appropriate creative skills in the case of creative activities.
  • Original projects designed by the student that require oversight and support from the faculty mentor(s).
  • Community-based, participatory-action scholarship in which the project responds to research or creative activity in collaboration with a community partner.

Student Funding Requirements


Student Funding Requirements

  • Students must be on-site at GCSU and devote a minimum of 320 hours over 8 weeks or more to their research project.
  • Student may NOT take in-person summer courses during the 8-week period (at minimum) in which they are funded to complete research.
  • Students may not submit team applications. If multiple students are working with the same faculty mentor, each student must submit a separate project application demonstrating their unique contribution.
  • If appropriate for the research project, students must apply to the Institute Research Board (IRB) or Animal Use Proposal (IACUC) for research approval.
  • Before beginning the research project, funding recipients must complete the MURACE GeorgiaView course (click for instructions to register for course)
  • Funding recipients must present scholarship (i.e., research or creative activity) at the Fall 2025 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC) in November at Oxford College and at Research Day 2026 at Georgia College & State University. They must also provide detailed plans for presenting scholarship at an appropriate conference in their discipline, including the name and description of the conference, due date for submitting a proposal, and the date of the conference.
  • Funding recipients must submit a copy of their final scholarship to MURACE in an appropriate medium along with a copy of an abstract on the research project ready to submit for presentation at conferences.


IMPORTANT: Students will be required to complete their research and all above requirements even if the full funding has been distributed. Failure of the student to complete the project will result in forfeiture of the funding and a hold will be placed against the student until the funding is repaid. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the faculty mentor to ensure that the student researcher is making progress. If, in the opinion of the mentor, the student is not making progress on the project, the mentor should notify the Associate Provost for Student Engagement and Academic Excellence, Dr. Kevin Bucholtz, and the Director of MURACE, Dr. Tsu-Ming Chiang, immediately.

Contact Information

Please list the last three digits of your GCID number.

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Academic Information

Project Information

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Please copy and paste your project abstract below. Your abstract should be between 150 and 300 words in length.

Please copy and paste your project narrative below. Your narrative can be up to 500 words in length and should detail the methods of investigation or creative media that will be applied, expected results, and justification of how the study's goals will be accomplished in the allocated time frame, and explain why you should receive funding.

Please add a brief timeline below, demonstrating how the project extends across at least 8 weeks of the Summer semester.

Describe the proposed role of your chosen faculty mentor in this project as it relates to their own work and the uniqueness of the student contribution. Faculty must be actively engaged in mentorship.

For projects involving live, vertebrate animals, approval of the project by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is required before funds can be distributed. For more information about the policies, procedures, and assurances required by IACUC, see their website.

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For projects involving human participants, approval of the project by the Georgia College Institutional Review Board (IRB) is required before funds can be distributed. For more information about research involving human participation and the IRB approval process, see their website.

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An additional $500 of funding is available to help defray the cost of your summer research expenses. If you would like to apply for money for lab supplies, travel to archives, etc., please create a budget listing each item and the amount you are requesting for each item.

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