What's New

Congratulations to the category winners and runners-up from WVU's 7th annual Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium. Thank you to all of our presenters for joining us in celebrating another year of undergraduate research at WVU.

Undergraduates from all majors are invited to submit abstracts for presentation of scholarly works at the Seventh Annual Undergraduate Spring Symposium on Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 at the WVU Mountainlair, 12:30 - 5 PM. 

The next issue of JNCHC (deadline: March 1, 2023) invites research essays on any topic of interest to the honors community.

The issue will also include a Forum focused on the theme “Regime Change in Honors,” in which we welcome perspectives, insights, and analytical narratives about the impact that changes in higher administration have on the success or hardships of honors. We invite essays of roughly 1000-2000 words that consider this theme in a practical and/or theoretical context.

UReCA strives to further the exchange of scientific and creative work between undergraduate students by providing a platform where students can contribute to their academic community. Here is a link to the site: http://www.nchc-ureca.com/.

We are looking to recruit new Associate Editors with diverse academic backgrounds from universities across the United States. Associate Editors are responsible for the selection of creative work and research articles that will appear on the website. Additionally, Associate Editors provide feedback and revision suggestions to authors of the selected pieces. In order to apply, students must be pursuing their undergraduate degrees and be enrolled in an honors program or college that is a member of NCHC.

Eight separate NASA WV EPSCoR and NASA WV Space Grant Consortium grants for the fiscal year 2023-2024 are now available, including:

NASA is announcing a 10-week paid research opportunities with the NASA DEVELOP National Program, open to current students and recent college graduates as well as transitioning/early career professionals. 

NASA DEVELOP projects focus on helping local, national, and international communities address their environmental concerns while utilizing NASA's Earth observing fleet of satellites. NASA DEVELOP operates at eleven locations across the country at NASA Centers and other regional locations. This is a great opportunity for participants who are interested in practical applications of remote sensing and GIS, specifically in the field of Earth Science. Participants will work with NASA scientists, partner organizations, and science advisors to learn about the use of NASA Earth science data for use in water resources, disaster management, ecological conservation, and other applications to address environmental community concerns.

Submission Reviewer Opportunity | April 22 - May 1, 2023

The Plant the Moon and Mars Challenge is a hands-on science experiment, citizen science project, and innovation challenge to help NASA learn to live and work on the Moon and Mars.

Seventy-two West Virginia University students representing the Morgantown and Beckley campuses have been invited to participate in Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol from 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, in Charleston.

Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol provides students the opportunity to present their original scholarly works during a poster session and to talk with legislators about their findings. Nearly 120 student researchers from nine institutions will present in the areas of creative arts, education, health sciences, the humanities, STEM and social and behavioral sciences.

The University of Wisconsin has just launched an NIH-funded Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). This is a one-year program (August 1 – July 31) designed for recent graduates (BS or BA) from under-represented populations. PREP Scholars will be placed in a research laboratory where they will work with a faculty and benchside mentor on a defined, independent research project. In addition, there will be 3-6 hours/week devoted to professional and leadership skill development, science communication skill development, and workshops related to responsible conduct of research.
 
The program covers one year stipend, tuition remission for one 3-credit graduate level class related to their research, and funding towards attendance at ABRCMS or SACNAS and another conference related to their sponsoring laboratory’s research.
 
The ultimate goal is to provide PREP Scholars the resources and skills required to apply to and matriculate into life science-related PhD graduate programs.
 
I would greatly appreciate if you would forward this information along to the students that you believe would benefit from this type of program. Our website link is below, and I am very happy to answer any questions you or your students might have. Of note, the deadline for applications for 2023-2024 is February 15.

Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship Awards