URCO grants provide an opportunity for undergraduate researchers to fund their own projects. The application process provides direct experience in project design, grantsmanship, and technical writing and communication; funded students gain additional experience in managing a grant budget, compiling research reports, and in running independent projects.

“The URCO grant was a keystone in my education and undergraduate research experience. The process of having to write a full grant, work with professors, create budgets, setting up and conducting a full, novel experiment and being able to present my research in a professional environment was unparalleled with anything I had done before in my education. When applying for graduate schools this last year, the URCO grant experience made it possible for me to say that not only had I been involved in undergraduate research, but that it was my own original experiment. It allowed me to say that as an undergrad, I’ve had the opportunity to present my research at three different research symposiums. Most importantly though, it gave me the opportunity to network with many professionals across different fields and resulted in many lasting connections. “

–Alex Braeger, Summer 2018 URCO Recipient

An URCO experience helps students become more competitive for future scholarships and fellowships, graduate school programs, or career opportunities. Not only will successful students receive a scholarship to support the time and effort they pour into their research projects, they will also gain practical skills that help them stand out among their peers and demonstrated outcomes of these skills.

Beginning in 2020, the Office of Research and the Geosciences Department would like to announce the first named URCO grant. In remembrance and celebration of an exceptional student, researcher, and person, the Evan Millsap Memorial URCO grant will be awarded to proposals in Geosciences that meet the standard of excellence that Evan embodied in his own URCO proposal.

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