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Undergraduate Research Travel Fellowship

 

Purpose

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards offers the Undergraduate Research Travel Fellowship to support undergraduate students from the University of Houston in enhancing their academic development, disseminating their research results, and increasing the visibility of the institution by supporting undergraduate student travel at regional, national, and international conferences. The travel funding is intended for undergraduates presenting the results of their research or creative activities at meetings for a regional, national, or international audience within their academic discipline. 

Complete the Undergraduate Research Travel Fellowship application.

Nature of Support

  • The maximum amount of each individual travel award is $750.00. There is no exception to this amount for foreign travel. Only the most economical fares are eligible for this program and students may not receive more than the state-approved per diem rate for lodging and meals. You may search for specific per diem rates here.
  • Since this travel allotment may not fund all the costs incurred through traveling, applicants are strongly encouraged to seek additional funding through research grants, conference travel award programs, and inquire through their faculty mentor and department chair about other potential funding resources that may be available.  
  • Eligible travel expenses include registration fees, airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and meals. Entertainment or "miscellaneous" expenses will not be covered.
  • The fund is not intended to replace support for undergraduate student travel from existing sources (e.g., contracts and grants, and current policies or practices for travel support within colleges or departments). The intent is to increase the number of students that are presenting, performing, or exhibiting at regional, national, and international conferences.  

Qualifying Venues

  • An award may be allocated only if the student is presenting his or her research or creative work at a qualifying venue. Students who have been invited to facilitate a roundtable or discussion based in research may also be eligible; such applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 
  • Qualifying venues include regular or annual meetings of a national (U.S. or another country's national society) or international professional society; or quadrennial (or otherwise periodically occurring) international congresses that are sponsored by a number of national professional societies. Professional societies are usually defined as those that collect dues, have elected officers, and may have published journals or other outlets for scholarly work. Qualifying venues may also include meetings sponsored by a government agency or industrial society if the meetings are of an academic nature and take place annually or biennially; and juried competitions of a national or international scope that are held regularly.  
  • Funds are not to be allocated to attend special meetings or meetings of special interest groups.

Applicant Eligibility

  • Only undergraduate students at UH main campus are eligible to receive funding from this program.
  • For the presentation of collaborative research which involves multiple students, only the presenting undergraduate student may be supported.  In special cases (e.g., duet performances), this limitation may be waived upon recommendation of the faculty advisor contingent upon available funding.
  • Students who have previously been awarded an Undergraduate Research Travel Fellowship are not eligible for funding to attend a second conference in the same academic year. However, if a student believes they have a compelling reason why they should receive additional funding, then they should contact the Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards directly.

Documentation Required

The application must include the following:

    1. Abstract that was submitted to sponsoring organization (200 words)
    2. Letter of recommendation from UH Faculty mentor
    3. Acceptance letter from sponsoring organization

If awarded, you will receive instructions regarding how you will receive your funding.

After the conference, you will be required to submit the following in order to process your reimbursement:

  • A two-page reflective report, which should include information on your experience traveling, presenting on your work, and representing the University of Houston at a conference. In the essay, you should describe how attending and presenting at the meeting helped you develop skills in one or more of the following areas: problem-solving, effective communication, teamwork, cultural competency, social responsibility, and/or ethical decision-making.
  • Your return boarding pass

Portions or all of your two-page report may be used in marketing materials for the Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards and the Honors College. Photos of the student presenting are strongly encouraged for marketing purposes.

Application Process and Deadlines

  • Applications must be approved by the appropriate department chair or equivalent and will be reviewed for final approval by the committee appointed by the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Research. Applicants must download the application, complete it electronically, print a hard copy, and then the student applicant, faculty mentor, and department chair (or equivalent) must sign it.  Signed application forms and supporting documentation should be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards in Room 212W in The Honors College, or as an electronic PDF to undergrad-research@uh.edu prior to no less than 30 days prior to travel.
  • Applications must be received no later than 30 days prior to travel. Applications received after this time will not be reviewed.

Decision Process

  • A selection committee appointed by the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Research will review requests for support to ensure conformance to the guidelines, and if funding is available, will normally approve those applications that adhere to the guidelines. Note that the committee will not be reviewing the papers or posters themselves; the peer-review process of the appropriate meetings and the approval processes within the colleges are assumed to have done that work.  In case there are more qualifying requests than available funds, the committee will utilize more stringent criteria.
  • Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Students are encouraged to submit all application materials well before the 30-day deadline to ensure funds can be disbursed as soon as possible.
  • Once an application has been approved, no substitutions will be allowed; if an undergraduate student wishes to use the program’s funds to support a presentation other than the one for which the original application was submitted, he or she must submit an entirely new application. If the student applicant is unable to travel after the funding has been approved, substituting a new student for the same presentation is not allowed; a new application must be submitted.  
  • If the student is awarded travel funds but does not attend the conference, the funds must be returned to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Major Awards immediately.