Awards & Scholarships
Applications for the Fall 2024 Endowed Undergraduate Research Awards and the Minerva Center Award are now open. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. November 10, 2024.
Applications for the Fall 2024 Endowed Undergraduate Research Awards and the Minerva Center Award are now open. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. November 10, 2024.
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We also encourage students to watch our Funding Workshop video, which includes application advice and other guidance.
The Minerva Center for High Impact Learning is proud to manage the following awards, which provide up to $1,000 in funding for individual undergraduate students’ research projects:
These awards are offered in partnership with the UAlbany Foundation, thanks to our generous donors. Donate today!
All eligible undergraduate students, regardless of major or class year, may apply.
To be eligible, you must fulfill these requirements at the time of application:
Your research project may be in any academic discipline, concentration or content area. However, each award is connected to a preferred research area:
To streamline the application process, there is a single Endowed Undergraduate Research Awards Application for all four awards.
The endowed awards application is now open. Apply here.
Your application will be reviewed and considered for any awards you’re eligible to receive. Please review the eligibility rules above before applying.
Be prepared to submit the following materials at the time of application:
Your mentor or supervisor will be prompted to review your application after you submit it. They must certify your application for it to be considered complete.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The Abele Research Fund was generously donated by Kenneth W. Abele and Thelma Miller Abele '38.
The Greenwald Research Fund was generously donated by Lita and Stephen Greenwald '40.
The Moyer Research Fund was generously donated by Robert W. Moyer.
The Undergraduate Research Scholarships were generously donated by Clyde '28 & Virgina Roosa '32 Slocum, Adelaid Schmid '38 and Adrienne Zimberg '83.
The Situation Prize – Community, Cause and Advocacy supports undergraduate research, internships, community service and other projects that meet a critical community need.
Each spring semester, UAlbany undergraduate students are invited to apply for one of five $910 awards. The ongoing or proposed projects may be in any academic discipline.
The award is intended to unite communities and leverage civic engagement — whether social, politics, economic or environment — for positive change.
All eligible undergraduate students, regardless of major or class year, may apply.
To be eligible, you must be a matriculated (degree-seeking) undergraduate UAlbany student enrolled in at least six credits at the time of application.
To apply, please complete the Situation Prize Application. Applications have been extended and will close on March 24th, 11:59pm.
You’ll be required to submit an updated resume and a three- to five-page project proposal or summary (see below for instructions). You can also optionally submit a 10-second video with a one-second tagline for your project.
If you are selected to receive the award, you will be required to provide an update on your project, including how it has progressed and other related information, in July.
Your project proposal or summary should respond to this prompt:
Engaging with our communities has never been timelier than it is now. As a student, cultivating interests and passions outside of the classroom is a valuable aspect of your development as an engaged citizen. Using your academic experience, write a project proposal/paper that identifies an issue/problem within the community you live and work in that has sparked your passion.
The project proposal or summary must also include the following:
A definition of the problem/issue
Your relationship to the problem/issue and why it matters to you
The impact of this problem/issue on the community
How this problem/issue is or is not being addressed elsewhere
Your proposal of actionable interventions that can be implemented to address the problem/issue within the community and/or how to further the work of an organization you are already involved with
What you envision the future will look like without this problem/issue
It must also include a works cited page, which will not count against the three- to five-page limit.
(A works cited is required to highlight the importance of sound research and analysis of data, theories, and practices in addressing such problems/issues.)
The Situation Prize is generously donated by Damian Bazadona '98, the founder and president of digital marketing agency Situation.
Bazadona earned a BS in Business Administration at UAlbany. Situation helps brands build passionate communities through digital-first marketing strategies.
Over the years, Damian has worked with some of the world’s leading brands including Meals on Wheels America, The Metropolitan Opera, HBO, Major League Soccer, National Geographic, and The Ad Council.
His agency has also been honored with numerous workplace awards from Crain’s, Best Companies Group, Cynopsis, Digiday, and Fortune. Damian himself was honored by Cynopsis with the Social Good Leader of the Year and HR Visionary of the Year awards.
Damian strongly believes in giving back to his own community. Past Situation Prize recipients have used their awards to advance their projects, attend conferences and make an impact in their communities.
The Sorrell Chesin Research Award supports faculty-supervised undergraduate research in the life sciences (biology, chemistry, and/or related disciplines).
Each spring semester, juniors and seniors are invited to apply for $500 awards.
To be eligible, you must fulfill these requirements at the time of application:
Students who have previously won a Sorrell Chesin Award may apply but not with the same project. Past recipients must apply with a different project to be considered.
To apply, students will complete our online application. Applications are currently closed.
Be prepared to submit the following:
After you submit the application, your faculty mentor/advisor will receive an email with instructions for submitting a letter of support.
The Sorrell Chesin Award is generously donated by Dr. Sorrell Chesin, an Emeritus Associate Vice President for University Development at UAlbany.
Dr. Sorrell Chesin began his undergraduate education at NYU but completed it with a bachelor's of science from the SUNY Geneseo. His master's of arts is from Syracuse University and his doctorate from Michigan State University, where he served as a Head Resident Advisor.
As an undergraduate student at SUNY Geneseo, Dr. Chesin participated in research under the direction of Psychology Professor Richard Bloomer. The experience inspired Dr. Chesin to champion undergraduate research during his career in higher education.
He held an administrative and part-time faculty position at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut prior to being appointed Associate Dean of Students at UAlbany in 1965.
Dr. Chesin held several senior administrative positions over the course of his UAlbany tenure, including service as Executive Director of the UAlbany Foundation, and retired in 2013 as Associate Vice President for University Development.
Upon retirement, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the UAlbany Emeritus Center, an association of retired faculty, administrators and professional personnel and served as its Vice President and then President.
The Minerva Center for High Impact Learning supports undergraduate researchers at any stage of their undergraduate career and in any discipline area with their research and creative endeavors. Awards are available each semester; apply the semester before you wish to be funded (for example, you should apply for summer awards in the spring).
All eligible undergraduate students, regardless of major or class year, may apply for this award up to $1,000.
To be eligible, you must fulfill these requirements at the time of application:
Your research project or creative endeavor may be in any academic discipline, concentration or content area! Projects involving credit-bearing experiences (research internship, independent study, or course-based research) may be considered.
The Minerva Center award application for Spring 2025 is now open. Apply for the Minerva Center Undergraduate Research Award.
Your application will be reviewed and considered for any awards you’re eligible to receive. Please review the eligibility rules above before applying.
Be prepared to submit the following materials at the time of application:
Your mentor or supervisor will be prompted to review your application after you submit it. They must certify your application for it to be considered complete.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
The Presidential Award for Undergraduate Research recognizes high-quality research, scholarship and creative activities conducted by undergraduate students at UAlbany.
Eligible students are nominated by their faculty mentor/advisor and winners are selected by the students’ respective schools and colleges. Nomination forms are sent directly to the deans to disseminate to faculty at the beginning of the spring semester.
Students who receive the award are expected to present their research paper or project at UAlbany Showcase. Additionally, by accepting the award, students give the University permission to publish their final report or an abstract of the report.
Opportunities are posted here as they are shared with the Minerva Center.
UAlbany Opportunities
External Opportunities