There are a number of funding opportunities, both for current Penn State students as well as students beyond the university can join us as well. And there are options for both graduate and undergraduate students. If you are interested in joining the lab, especially over the summer, here are some programs that can provide stipends or compensating funds. Please contact Dr. Kellogg prior to submitting any application.
Graduate Funding Opportunities
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP)
The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) is an eight-week research program designed to interest talented undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in academic careers and to enhance their preparation for graduate study through intensive research experiences with faculty mentors. In addition to the research experience, the program includes professional development workshops, seminars, field trips, and social activities. The 2023 Summer Research Opportunities Program will take place between May 31 and July 28.
Each year, the Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs works in partnership with the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) to host twenty-five to forty students participating in the SROP. These students are from colleges and universities across the country and from the island of Puerto Rico. During the summer, students spend eight weeks on campus working with faculty mentors in the academic fields for which they might pursue graduate work. Each student also prepares a major paper on his or her research project for presentation at the Penn State SROP Symposium.
In addition to SROP activities at Penn State, students attend the CIC SROP National Conference at the hosting university. As part of the national conference, they participate in round table discussions to talk about their research and to learn about the work of SROP students at the other CIC institutions.
For more information, see here.
Garden Club of America’s Anne S. Chatham Fellowship in Medicinal Botany
To encourage US graduate students to protect, preserve and expand knowledge about the medicinal use of plants, thus preventing the disappearance of plants with therapeutic potential. Providing this research opportunity for botanists can, in turn, assist medical science to develop therapies that improve the quality of life of patients and develop life-saving medicines. It provides $4500 to one student so they may develop projects around medicinal botany. The scholarship is open to graduate students enrolled in an accredited US college or university.
For more information, see here.
American Society of Pharmacognosy Summer Research Fellowship Program
The ASP offers a 2.5-month summer research fellowship to support students in lab-based research under the supervision of an ASP faculty mentor. ASP summer research fellows will receive a total stipend of $5,000 for the summer period, and will participate not only in lab research, but also in a series of weekly training and professional development workshops led by a team of ASP faculty leaders. The program also sponsors students to optionally attend the annual ASP meeting in July to provide them with opportunities to expand their professional networks and present their work. We expect to support up to six summer research fellows each year. Application instructions are provided below.
Eligibility. ASP summer research fellowships are open to students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Latinx (BIL). Students should be enrolled in an undergraduate program (full-time status preferred) at a college or university in the United States (including Puerto Rico and other US territories), and be majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, botany, or a biomedical science field. The student must agree to devote 40 hours per week to research for at least 2.5 months. We recognize the interconnectedness of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, and will seek particularly to support applicants who may be disadvantaged as a result of intersectionality; for example BIL students who are also women, economically disadvantaged, or LGBTQIA+.
For more information, see here.
Undergraduate Funding Opportunities
College of Ag Sciences Undergraduate Research Award
The College of Ag Sciences Undergraduate Research Award is designed to support original undergraduate research projects that are student-driven. Students enrolled full-time in the College of Agricultural Sciences grow by leading a research project from design to exhibition. It provides $3,000 for summer research in a faculty member’s lab.
Applications due March 31.
For more information, see here.
Penn State Erickson Discovery Grant
The Erickson Discovery Grants are directed to student-initiated projects in the arts, engineering, humanities, sciences, and social sciences that provide experience in all facets of the research, scholarship, or creative processes. This includes conceptualization of a question or focus, proposal writing, identification and implementation of methods, and communication of results (reporting, exhibition, or performance). $3,500 will be awarded to the student directly. Projects should be primarily the student’s own work; although the project may be related to the supervising faculty member’s research or scholarly interests, it should not simply provide assistance to faculty work.
Applications due February 11.
For more information, see here.
Garden Club of America’s Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany
To encourage US undergraduate students to expand their knowledge of medicinal botany by pursuing summer study in various projects, courses, and/or internship with supervision and structure, the Garden Club of America offers the Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany. It provides $3000 to one student annually for summer study. The scholarship is open to undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited US college or university for study or work during the summer following the freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior year.
Applications due February 1.
For more information, see here.