Overview:

The Sophomore Research Fellowship provides research training and support to UW-Madison sophomore undergraduates, allowing them to undertake their own research project in collaboration with UW–Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff. Each year, the McPherson Eye Research Institute sponsors at least one Sophomore Fellowships for students undertaking vision-based (including bioengineering, imaging, data visualization, cognitive psychology, ophthalmology and general biology of the eye) research projects. The Sophomore Fellow receives $3,000, and the faculty/staff research advisor receives $500 to help offset research costs. To apply for this award, at the time of application the undergraduate must be a student in their second year, a transfer student in their first year at UW-Madison, or be a first year undergraduate who will have more than 24 credits after May of the current academic year.

The application period for Sophomore Research Fellowships begins in December of each year, with a submission deadline in February of the next calendar year.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible to apply for and receive a Sophomore Research Fellowship, you must…

• …be proposing a vision-based research project

• …be an undergraduate student at UW-Madison in good academic and disciplinary standing

• …have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or above

• …be a second year undergraduate OR a transfer student in your first year of attendance at UW-Madison OR a first year undergraduate who will have more than 24 credits after May of the current academic year

• …not apply for the Hilldale/Holstrom and the Sophomore Research Fellowship for the same project in the same year

• …not have won a Sophomore Research Fellowship award in the past

• …agree, if you accept a Sophomore Research Fellowship, to not accept funding from other sources for the same research project during the same time period. For example, if you plan to apply for summer funding from another source (e.g., the Honors Summer Research Apprenticeships) you may want to apply for the Sophomore Research Fellowship for the fall and/or spring term.

• …undertake your project in collaboration with UW–Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff. Graduate students are ineligible to serve as Sophomore Research Fellow project advisors.

• …be willing to:

• Have the research protocol(s) approved by the appropriate Human Subjects and/or Animal Care and Use Committee(s) if using human or animal subjects in consultation with the project advisor. Does not have to be approved at time of application; must be approved before start of research.

• Present research findings at the Undergraduate Symposium (in April of the following year), or at another presentation venue.

• Submit a final or progress report of approximately 500 to 1,000 words.

• Not accept other undergraduate research funding for the same research project during the term of the Sophomore fellowship.

• Comply with university COVID-19 policy regarding research, and university travel policy. Should pandemic restrictions or other safety concerns limit the ability to pursue the proposed project, the research proposal may be modified, and the timeline may be altered. Any changes to the proposed research, or the research timeline, must be made in consultation with the project advisor, and those changes will need to be described in the award post-acceptance section on WiSH. For additional information see the following:
Campus Research Operations during COVID-19
Updates to University Travel for Employees, Students and Student organizations
UW-Madison International Travel Policy

Submission Guidelines:

To apply for a Sophomore Research Fellowship you will need to submit:

1. A project proposal of no more than five double-spaced pages with at least 1 inch margins, and no smaller than 11pt font. The abstract and references are included in the 5-page limit, and the proposal should follow disciplinary guidelines and use headers appropriate to the field. If you are uncertain about how to format your proposal, talk to your project advisor. All proposals should contain the following:

(a) An abstract of the proposed research (200 words or less, may be single-spaced)

(b) An introduction and literature review, detailing the originality and significance of the proposed project

(c) A methods section, describing plans for data collection and analysis

(d) A timeline for completion of project

(e) Research questions/objectives

(f) Conclusion/future directions

(g) References (may be single-spaced)

2. An unofficial UW–Madison transcript (For instructions on how to access your unofficial transcript, go to request unofficial transcript)

3. A recommendation letter from the project advisor, which includes a brief budget statement explaining how the $500 awarded to the advisor will be spent in support of the student’s research. It’s helpful when the letter also addresses how long and in what capacity the project advisor has known the student, and plans for regular interaction with the student for the duration of the project. The recommendation is submitted online as part of the online application.

How to Submit and Further Resources

Applications are submitted to the Undergraduate Academic Awards Office via the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). After logging in and filling out a general application, you will be presented with links to applications for scholarships for which you are eligible, with open application cycles. If you do not see the Sophomore Research Fellowship application on your list, and you believe you meet the eligibility requirements, please contact the UAA Office (awards@provost.wisc.edu, 265-2428).

Please note that the Writing Center offers workshops on writing proposals for Sophomore Research Fellowships. Contact the Writing Center to register (263-1992).