Last summer, fourth-year Engineering students Ana Jemec and Eric Harshfield spent nine weeks in the bushveldt of South Africa.
The experience, which Jemec described as “incredible,” allowed the two to conduct their own undergraduate research and was made possible through a $10,000 grant from the Davis Projects for Peace program, which they applied for in spring 2008.
The Davis Projects for Peace program is just one of many grants and fellowships available to students for undergraduate research projects. Information about the University’s various undergraduate research opportunities is organized through the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, where students can learn more about what it takes to apply for grants that coordinate with their studies.
Lucy Russell, director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, said the Davis Projects for Peace grant is run through the Davis Foundation, which “funds 100 projects at $10,000 each, proposed by students at colleges and universities throughout the United States.” She explained that the foundation looks for proposals and grassroots projects that would promote peace anywhere in the world during the upcoming summer.
The application process for a Davis grant is highly competitive, Russell said, and requires a great deal of work. Like other grants and fellowships, there are many requirements that both the applicants and their schools have to fulfill. The University is only able to nominate one project and one alternate to the Davis Foundation to be considered for funding, Russell said.
The Center receives applications from students from all areas of study at the University and is still going through the applications received last month for the upcoming summer, Russell said. To apply, students must turn in a two-page proposal, a budget, a résumé and cover letter, as well as two letters of recommendation.
Once students submit their proposals, a University faculty committee reviews the students’ proposals and selects the projects to send forward to the Davis Foundation.
“For some students, this proposal is the culmination of coursework and previous research experience,” Russell said. “For others, it provides the opportunity to build on volunteer or other interests and experiences.”
For Jemec and Harshfield, working with the Davis Projects for Peace grant was a way to expand their studies beyond the classroom and out to the rolling bushveldt of South Africa, where they focused on building a water purification unit. Jemec said the unique experience taught her “a lot about development-related research projects.”
The two fourth years, who were the first University students to ever receive the award, came across information about the program by looking on the Web site for the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, Harshfield said.
“We were applying for lots of grants,” he explained, adding that the Davis Projects for Peace was one that worked with their studies. “It was a great way to get involved in undergraduate research.”
Prior to the project, Jemec and Harshfield met in chemical engineering class and decided that they wanted to pursue their interests in undergraduate research.
“I knew that I wanted to work on a water project in South Africa,” Jemec said.
The project was a matter of not only completing the work, Jemec added, but also learning what to expect. During their time in South Africa, Jemec and Harshfield met a few cultural obstacles along the way.
“I thought everything would run really smoothly,” Jemec said. “But everything works much more slowly there.”
Although the project has been completed, it is still present in their current engineering studies, Harshfield said. Both Jemec and Harshfield are using their research topic for their theses and in their ongoing independent study programs, Harshfield said. He explained that he used the topic to help with a class he taught on global development last semester. Harshfield also noted that they plan to assemble another group of students to go back to South Africa and follow up on the project this summer.
In the meantime, Russell said new applicants for the grant are being considered.
“I am glad that our students have this opportunity and I’m delighted by student interest in the Davis Projects for Peace program,” she said.
Harshfield also encouraged students to consider applying for grants of any kind: “If you have an idea for a project, you can change the lives of others,” he said. “Go for it.”
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