The Feb. 20, 2020 SCICU Research Symposium gave students from SCICU member colleges and universities the opportunity to showcase the findings of their research conducted March-December 2019.
Milliken & Company again hosted the SCICU Research Symposium at their customer center in Spartanburg. The day-long event featured multimedia presentations on research topics that included medical issues, literature, history, and psychology.
SCICU, with the support of generous donors, funded over $77,000 in support of undergraduate student research projects during the 2019 research cycle. Donors supporting the 2019 Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program include the Belle W. Baruch Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, Bon Appetit, Russell D. Cook, Daniel-Mickel Foundation, Mills B. Lane Foundation, Milliken Foundation, and Nephron Pharmaceuticals, and Sodexo.
Student Research Project Selection Process
In the SCICU Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program, prospective undergraduate researchers face submission and project constraints similar to what they will experience in their professional careers.
Each November, SCICU issues a call for undergraduate student research grant requests through the chief academic officers at its 20 member colleges and universities. Undergraduate researchers, supported by subject-area faculty mentors, submit detailed proposals to SCICU for project funding. The deadline for submitting proposals to SCICU is usually late February.
Based on the subject areas of student projects submitted for funding consideration, SCICU amasses a team of subject-matter experts from its 20 member colleges and universities. The review team then meets in late March to select research projects for funding. After the review panel conducts a rigorous review of proposed research methods and funding requests, SCICU announces project selection, and students can begin research immediately. All research activities conclude usually by Dec. 10.
After the conclusion of research activities in December, students submit one-page abstracts to SCICU by the end of the following January. At that time, the clock is running down quickly for the researchers to submit their presentation materials for A/V compilation required for the upcoming symposium scheduled for late February.
2020 SCICU Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program
The deadline for submitting project proposals to SCICU for the 2020 research cycle was February 28, 2020. The next step in the 2020 research cycle will be the competitive review of projects for SCICU funding in late March. Prospective student researchers will be informed of project funding by mid-April, with research permitted to commence immediately.