Gunderson Family Student Research in Coastal Sustainability Summer Award

2020-21 call for applications

The Gunderson Family Student Research in Coastal Sustainability Fund supports undergraduate students engaging in coastal sustainability research during summer at UC Santa Cruz. To apply you must have a UC Santa Cruz faculty sponsor for a project to be conducted between now and the end of summer quarter 2021, and that sponsor must complete an online recommendation for your project.

COVID-19 UPDATE
We have extended both the application date and the project completion date for this year’s award. We encourage you to discuss with your faculty advisor whether you could complete your project in some form during shelter-in-place or if there would be an equivalent independent-study research project you could complete instead. Award funding is applicable to either option. Alternatively, you and your faculty advisor could make a plan for a project that takes place during the coming year or next summer.

Amount & use

Award amount: $2,500

Eligibility & Requirements

Any undergraduate registered and enrolled at UC Santa Cruz who is in good academic standing, is engaging in coastal sustainability research, and will not graduate before the project is completed. If you have questions, please contact the dean’s office at awards.science@ucsc.edu.
All award recipients will be required to provide a handwritten or typed thank you note and complete a questionnaire for stewardship purposes and may be asked to participate in other recognition-events. If for any reason you would not be able to participate in the recognition activities outlined above, we will work with you on an alternative.

Deadlines

All materials are due by the end of the day on Friday, May 15, 2020.
Awards announced on Friday, May 29, 2020.

Selection criteria

Selection criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality and strength of the written research proposal, the feasibility of the project, the quality of the faculty recommendation, and the applicants’ overall grades.
Selection process: The Physical and Biological Sciences Undergraduate Award Committee, composed of faculty in the Sciences at UC Santa Cruz, will review the application materials, rank each proposal, and select the award recipient.

Past recipients

2018–2019

Sharon Mulready (Earth & Planetary Sciences)

2017–2018

Anthony Mazzini (Earth & Planetary Sciences)

How to apply

Completed applications and faculty reference letter should be uploaded via the form by the posted deadline. If you have questions, please contact the dean’s office at awards.science@ucsc.edu.
The online application form asks for a description of your project in 500 words or less. The application requires a recommendation from your faculty sponsor, which you should obtain by sending them the faculty recommendation form link. Before you submit your application online, please make sure you have completed your project proposal and have secured your faculty sponsorship.

Application form