Skip to page content

Skip to navigation

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Go to Wisc.edu

Research Funding Within CALS

Skip sidebar and go to page body

Research Funding Within CALS

Faculty researchers are a primary resource for many students. The ongoing research activities of a professor who is interested in and willing to support the research activities of an undergraduate using funding from an existing research project are a frequent source of funding used by many students.

Other faculty members who have projects supported by funding from Agencies like the National Science Foundation have an opportunity to apply for supplemental funds to provide a research experience for undergraduates (REU). Students are advised to talk with their mentor about the possibilities of support for a project they wish to pursue.

Students in the CALS Honors programs are required to conduct research leading to a Senior Honors Thesis and may apply to the College's Honors and Undergraduate Research Committee. And, regardless of class level or honors status, any student interested in mentored research resulting in a Thesis is also encouraged to apply for support from the College's Honors and Undergraduate Research Committee. (Download an application for Senior Honors Thesis and Thesis support)

The Honors and Undergraduate Research Committee has three sources of funds at its disposal to support undergraduate research experiences.

  • Senior Research Project Support: Each year a fund for Academic Programs is set aside to support research by seniors who wish to do a thesis. Interested students are invited to submit proposals for their research to the Honors and Undergraduate Research Committee. If accepted they receive a stipend to conduct their research under guidance of their mentor. They must present the results of their work at the CALS Undergraduate Research Symposium, in a professional meeting or an approved alternative symposium and file a written thesis approved by the signature of their mentor to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Funds available for use vary by year.
  • Cargill-Benevenga Research Scholarship: This award was created by Cargill in recognition of Prof. N.J. Benevenga of the Department of Animal Sciences. It is available to support undergraduate research or other scholarly inquiry for students at any level in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Any student in the College may be considered for the scholarship if they are in good standing in the Honors program or show evidence of outstanding academic achievement. The process for application is the same as others. Funds available for use vary by year.
  • Joseph Weix Scholarship Fund: This award was created to honor Joseph Weix's contributions to Wisconsin's vegetable growth, production and processing. The funds are available to support undergraduate research or other scholarly inquiry for students at any level in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences who have an interest in vegetable growth, production and processing very broadly defined. Any student in the College may be considered for the scholarship if they are in good standing in the Honors program or show evidence of outstanding academic achievement. The process for application is the same as others. Funds available for use vary by year.

Each requires submission of a proposal, review and approval by the committee, and either a poster presentation or a thesis and presentation is expected as a final product of the student's work.

If your project is approved for funding by the Committee, you are expected to present the completed results in a research form as an oral report, poster, or other format at the CALS Undergratuate Research Symposium at the end of the Spring Semester. Submission of your research thesis, countersigned by the mentor, to the online Undergraduate Research Thesis Collection at Steenbock Library will serve as final documentation of your work.

You are encouraged to submit your proposal to multiple sources. If your proposal is successful in more than one competition, you will need to choose to accept either the CALS support or support from other sources. This allows us to use our funds to support more individuals engage in research as a way to learn.