| Undergraduate Research & Fellowships
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Opportunity to Engage: Fulbright Visitor from Hungary
Károly Jókay, Executive Director of Fulbright Hungary, will be visiting the University of Tennessee on November 1 and 2. He is eager to meet with faculty who are interested in applying for Fulbright awards to Hungary or other Central European countries, such as Poland or Romania. (See this link for all Fulbright faculty awards in Hungary.) Dr. Jókay will give a Zoom presentation on Wednesday, November 1, at 12:45 p.m. about the recently expanded Fulbright opportunities in Hungary. He is especially interested in recruiting applicants from the broader Appalachian region.
If you are interested in attending this Zoom presentation, RSVP to Alan Rutenberg, the campus faculty Fulbright advisor, at arutenberg@utk.edu no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, October 30. On Thursday, November 2, he will be available from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. for brief individual meetings with interested applicants. This is an unusual chance to receive advice and develop a contact with the director of a Fulbright commission. If you are interested in having an individual, in-person meeting on November 2, please notify Alan Rutenberg as soon as possible. Individual meetings will be allocated in the order requests are received.
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Boren Awards Representative on Campus October 27
On Friday, October 27 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the 262A Student Union, Boren Awards Representative Mariah Stewart will be visiting the University of Tennessee to discuss the Boren Scholarship (open to undergraduates) and the Boren Fellowship (open to graduate students) with students. Boren Awards provide significant funding for language-focused study abroad programs anywhere in the world except Western Europe, New Zealand, Australia, or Canada.
Applicants can choose any language-focused study abroad program, including applicable UT options. Boren offers up to $25,000 for year-long study abroad, up to $10,000 for semester-long study abroad, and up to $8000 for summer study abroad. Year-long and semester-long programs are open to all students and all majors; summer programs are open only to STEM majors. Students interested in applying to Boren should also be interested in working for the US federal government as at least 12 months of paid federal service is required after graduation for Boren recipients, but Boren alumni do have preferential hiring within designated agencies. The next round of applications is due in January 2024 for all 2024-2025 awards. Please refer any interested students (undergraduate and graduate) to the event. Faculty who wish to learn more about the awards are also welcome to attend.
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URF Faculty Director Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe an Academic Leader in The SEC
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Sharon Jean-Philippe, faculty director for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships, has been named one of the distinguished fellows in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) 2023-24 Academic Leadership Development Program.
This prestigious program is dedicated to identifying, preparing, and advancing academic leaders within SEC institutions and beyond. Dr. Jean-Philippe's selection is a testament to her outstanding leadership abilities and her commitment to academic excellence. Congratulations to Dr. Jean-Philippe for this well-deserved honor.
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44 Student Fulbright Applications Submitted to 27 Countries
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is consistently a top producer of Fulbright US Student Grant recipients. Every year, URF proudly supports each cohort to develop the most competitive applications possible. This year, 44 UT students and alumni made it across the finish line to submit their Fulbright US Student Grant applications for the 2024-2025 cycle, a 10% increase in applicants from last year. Our scholars come from all backgrounds and majors; they pursue Fulbright for myriad reasons, opting to pursue research, study, and teaching around the globe. This year, our 44 applicants applied to 27 different countries, from Brazil to Morocco to Thailand. While the application deadline is over, URF welcomes referrals for rising seniors and alumni for the upcoming 2025-2026 cycle. We are also interested in consistently recruiting faculty who may be interested in serving on the interview committee next year. If you would like to interview a small number of candidates in September 2024, please don’t hesitate to email urf@utk.edu to learn more.
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39 Students Apply for the Gilman
On October 5, 39 UT students submitted applications to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, a 30% increase compared to last October. Gilman Scholarships expand access to study abroad, offering students with limited financial means (or students who are dependents of active-duty US military personnel) the financial support needed to access international programming. Gilman will open for applications again this spring.
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Student Spotlight: Christiane Alvarez
Christiane Alvarez’s research interests have developed from the molecular science of brain diseases to the experiences of people that follow diagnosis and degeneration. A Neuroscience major with a minor in English, Christiane understands the necessity of collaboration amongst disciplines for studying complicated issues. Funded by an Advanced Undergraduate Research Activity (AURA) award from Undergraduate Research & Fellowships, Christiane is undertaking a research project in the English department with Dr. Anthony Welch that intersects the fields of literature and medicine. Her project “Contextualizing Shakespeare's King Lear in a Medical Humanities Framework" focuses on neurodegenerative, age-related diseases to analyze the narrative about child-parent caregiving relationships and the experience of aging adults approaching the end of life. Christiane applied for a Fulbright US Student Grant to the Netherlands where she can continue to explore how medicine, clinical care, and scientific research can independently and collaboratively enhance our understanding of complex diseases.
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Summer Research Opportunitiy Support Programming Available
Do you have students interested in pursuing paid summer research experiences? Summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) are short-term summer internships that are available to students both here at UT and at institutions across the country. URF will run programming to help students find and develop competitive applications. We encourage faculty to refer students to our office or share our REU interest form.
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Posters at the Capitol
We invite undergraduate STEM researchers to submit their research abstracts for a chance to present their work to state legislators at the state capitol in Nashville on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. URF will provide travel coordination and cover the cost of travel for selected students. This event is hosted by the STEM Education Center at Middle Tennessee State University and is open to STEM research projects only. Applications are due by Friday, November 17.
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Undergraduate Publication Opportunity
Attention faculty who work with undergraduate researchers: if any students are looking to boost their research resumes, the University of Tennessee’s undergraduate research journal PURSUIT is seeking journal submissions for publication. PURSUIT is an academic, peer-reviewed journal for all disciplines, fields, and majors. Undergraduate students interested in publication are welcome to submit their recent papers, theses, or projects for review. Please direct your students to email Sarah Lange (slange2@vols.utk.edu) by October 31st, 2023 to upload their submissions and receive further information.
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In search of Faculty & Graduate Student Reviewers for PURSUIT
We are recruiting faculty from all disciplines who are interested in reviewing undergraduate submissions. Becoming a reviewer for PURSUIT requires a small time commitment but has a big impact as it provides an opportunity to mentor students in their publication process and boost research outcomes at UT. If you, or a graduate student you know, is interested in joining Pursuit as a faculty reviewer, please email Sarah Lange (slange2@vols.utk.edu) as soon as possible.
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EURēCA 2024
Mark you calendars! This spring we are proud to host the 28th annual Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EURēCA). EURēCA 2024 will take place on April 23 in the Student Union Pilot Company Ballroom, from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. We will provide more details about the application timeline in our next newsletter.
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Discovery Day 2023 – A Great Day
Discovery Day 2023 was a resounding success, with feedback revealing the tremendous impact on visitors and presenters. A remarkable 100% of presenters who responded to the feedback survey agreed presenting at Discovery Day improved their ability to communicate their research effectively and enhanced their understanding of both their own projects and the broader research landscape across campus. These positive outcomes highlight the transformative experience Discovery Day offers to our students. We'd like to send a huge thank you to all the faculty and DSS volunteers who made this day possible.
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| UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & FELLOWSHIPS EVENTS & DEADLINES
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UPCOMING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DEADLINES
UPCOMING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EVENTS
Nov 7: Finding (Paid) Summer Research Opportunities Panel
169 Student Union, 4 p.m.-5 p.m., Register Here
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AMBASSADORS (URA) EVENTS
Nov 1: All are welcome to attend the next URA (previously URSA) meeting, E102 Melrose Hall, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
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UPCOMING FELLOWSHIPS DEADLINES
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