Funding and Support for Undergraduate Research

Polar research
Bacterial attacking cell
Fluorescent viruses
Fraction collection
Column chromatography
PCR
Graduate student research
Graduate student research
Culture plates
Incinerator
Undergraduate researcher
Robotics
Spectrophotometry

Undergraduate Grant Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Award Program (URA)

This program encourages all enrolled full-time undergraduates to initiate and carry out small-scale, independent research or creative projects in any discipline. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, students develop a research proposal, submit it for funding to accomplish its goals, and conduct the research. Students are encouraged to present their results at the annual Undergraduate Research Forum. URA guidelines and application forms are available from the Office of Research for Undergraduates (ORU), and application deadlines are typically mid-semester.

Undergraduate Summer Scholars Program (USS)

A nine-week summer program, USS enables sophomores and juniors to do research or other creative activities in the summer with the supervision of an individual faculty mentor. USS guidelines are available from the Office of Research for Undergraduates (ORU), and application deadlines are in January of each year.

Howard Hughes Summer Internships (HHSI)

These 10-week science-focused internships, administered by the Departments of Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, and Microbiology, provide an extended summer research opportunity under the supervision of an individual faculty mentor. Students that apply for the USS are automatically considered for Hughes internships

Doctoral-Undergraduate Opportunities for Scholarship (DUOS)

The DUOS program aims to heighten the synergy between graduate and undergraduate research at Miami University. The undergraduate student and graduate student will work together on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member in a Ph.D. granting department. Either the undergraduate or graduate student may initiate the application, but the undergraduate student is to have primary authorship of the project. DUOS Program is open to any undergraduate student and any post-master's doctoral student who agree to abide by program requirements. DUOS guidelines are available from the Office of Research for Undergraduates (ORU), and the application form can be downloaded and uploaded on the DUOS web page.  DUOS deadlines are typically the Monday after Fall mid-term break.

Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research

Sigma Xi has been awarding research support to undergraduate and graduate students for over 80 years. Most grants range from a few hundred dollars to $1,000. Students apply for Sigma Xi grants online, and deadlines for submission are typically October 15 and March 15 of each year.

ASM Undergraduate Research Fellowship (URF)

The URF allows students to conduct research in the summer with an ASM member faculty mentor at their home institution and present the results at the ASM General Meeting the following year. The fellowship requires a joint application from both the student and faculty mentor. Applications for URF are available online, and the deadline for submission is usually February 1 each year.

ASM Undergraduate Research Capstone Program (UR-Capstone)

The goal of this program is to fulfill the later stages of undergraduate professional development for underrepresented minority students (URM). This program seeks to enhance the presentation skills of students after their research experiences. The ASM Undergraduate Research Capstone Program (UR-Capstone) will focus on enhancing presentations and networking skills, and provide students with resources to transition to disciplinary scientific meetings. Applications are available online, and the deadline for submission is usually December 1 each year.

Research and Sponsored Programs Funding for Student Research

The Office of Research and Innovation maintains a listing of a wide range of scholarships, fellowships, and other funding opportunities that are available to Miami students

Opportunities to Present Research

Students of Microbiology are encouraged to share their research findings and professional meetings. Venues that Miami students frequently present their research include the following:

Check with your research mentor for other more specialized venues

Research Compliance and Training Certifications

Specialized research can require government-mandated training beyond the scope of one's mentor. Specifically, experimentation involving human or animal subjects, recombinant DNA, pathogenic agents, and/or radioisotopes require training certification or institutional approval. Listed below are resources for obtaining the training and/or approval required for such research.