Scholarship, Engagement, the Arts, Research, Creativity and Humanities Award

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About the SEARCH Award

The Scholarship, Engagement, the Arts, Research, Creativity, and Humanities (SEARCH) Award Program supports UTC graduate students and undergraduate students across all disciplines who pursue original scholarship under the supervision of UTC faculty.

SEARCH awardees gain intensive, hands-on experience with writing a research proposal, designing a research project or creative work, and disseminating findings through publication and/or presentation. Most projects commence in late summer or fall and conclude the following spring or summer.

2023 Cycle

Student Application Deadline: by 11:45 pm, Sunday, March 5, 2023.

Support Letters must be received by 11:45, Monday, March 13, 2023.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Currently enrolled graduate student or undergraduate student status with a graduation date of spring 2024 or later.
Full-time, degree-seeking status in good academic standing
Applicants must be working with a faculty advisor who will supervise the project during the award period.
Students who received a SEARCH award in 2022-2023 cycle are not eligible to apply.
Applicants must develop the research proposal in collaboration with the faculty advisor.

Note: Students may submit one application per funding cycle.

Award Details

Award amount – a maximum of $1,000 ( see funding details below)
Award Cycle: July 1, 2023– June 30, 2024.
Funds will be transferred to the awardee's department in July (beginning of fiscal year).

Award Mechanism

Award funds will be transferred directly to the awardee's department. No funds will be transferred directly to the awardee.
Awardees will work with the department Administrative Specialist/Budget Coordinator to expend funds to cover costs associated with the SEARCH project only.
Faculty advisors and department heads are responsible for ensuring that funds are spent for SEARCH related research activities ONLY.
All funds must be spent by the awardee’s department by June 25, 2024. SEARCH Funds will not be available after this date per UTC fiscal policy.

Use of Funds and Allowable Expenses

Requested funds must be used solely to support the student in carrying out the SEARCH research project as outlined in the application proposal.
All costs must be reasonable and directly related to the SEARCH project.
Allowable costs include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: student wages and fringe benefits (the awardee’s home department will process wages and fringe), supplies, minor equipment, travel (to be arranged by the awardee’s home department), and operating expenses.

Awardee Responsibilities and Expectations

Awardee

SEARCH Scholars will:

work from a research question, hypothesis, or thesis statement
apply research design/methods to generate findings
communicate findings through presentation and publication

Award Criteria

Funds will be disbursed to the awardees department once the following criteria are met:

Award letter (including all required signatures) is returned to the Office for URaCE by the deadline indicated in the award acceptance.
If applicable, approval documentation from the UTC Office of Research Integrity.
- Note: research that involves human subjects or animals must be approved by the UTC Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before the research commences.

SEARCH Scholar Responsibilities and Expectations

Attend all mandatory meetings, activities, and events as designated by the research advisor/mentor and the SEARCH program director. A complete list of required meetings, activities and events will be included in the SEARCH awardee letter.
Complete all assignments and meet all deadlines associated with the SEARCH research project.
Prior to and during the program, respond to information requests and other communications from faculty advisors/mentors and SEARCH program director in a timely manner.
Submit SEARCH mid-term (early spring) and final (late spring/summer) reports.
Present at the 2024 UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference.

Application Instructions

Before you apply please read the information below carefully.

have a faculty advisor/mentor who will supervise the project,
develop the research proposal (including budget) in collaboration with a faculty advisor/mentor,

Application Criteria: Before You Apply

Download the Proposal Guide (includes budget worksheet) HERE
Download a Proposal Template HERE

Note: The purpose of the program is to provide an opportunity for students to obtain hands-on experience with the research process; therefore, proposals must be written by the student applicant not the faculty mentor.

Preparing Your Application

Required Application Materials

CV or resume (submitted with SEARCH e-application)
SEARCH Research Proposal ( submitted with SEARCH e-application)
Advisor/Mentor Letter of Support ( Recommenders will submit the letters directly to the Office for URaCE via an electronic form. See more information about this process below.

SEARCH Research Proposal

Download the Proposal Guide HERE
Download a Proposal Template HERE

SEARCH Research Proposal Content (100 points total)

****Before you compose your proposal, please download and review the proposal guide (includes budget worksheet), and template.

Project Description/ Research Objectives (30 points)
Research Design and Methods (30 points)
Project Significance (30 points)
Budget Justification (5 points)
Student Merit & Need (5 points)

Advisor/Mentor Letter of Support:

The letter should address the advisor's commitment to supervise the project for the duration of the award period, how the advisor will provide oversight for the project, and the applicant's skills relevant to the project.

Support Letters: SEARCH applicants will identify the advisor/mentor contact information ( name and e-mail address ) within the e-application form. Once the SEARCH application is submitted, the advisor/mentor will receive an email from the Office for URaCE with support letter submission instructions.

SEARCH Applicants: Make certain you discuss the letter submission process and deadline (March 14) with your advisor/mentor prior to submitting an application. Also note that if you submit your application just before on the application deadline date your advisor/mentor will have only one week to submit the support letter. Please make sure to plan accordingly.

Group Submissions

If the proposed project involves a research team i.e., multiple students working on the same project, please read the following carefully:

One team member will submit a SEARCH application including all project details on behalf of the group. Gather the following information for each team member before accessing the form.

First and last name
UTC email
status (undergraduate or graduate student )
major

Students may submit only one SEARCH application per cycle. For example, if you are part of a research team you cannot submit a separate, individual application.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via the electronic application form by 11:45 P.M. March 5, 2023. Applicants will receive a confirmation message once an application has been submitted. Late submissions will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

APPLICATION

Questions? Contact the Office for URaCE.

Application Review and Selection

All proposals will be reviewed by a selection panel composed of UTC faculty and administrators. Each proposal will be evaluated using a 100-point scale aligned with the research proposal narrative. Proposals will be rank-ordered by score, and awardees will be notified of the outcome via email in May 2023.