Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry

Deadline Dates: October 15th for Spring/Summer funding, and March 15th for Summer/Fall funding. If these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, the deadline will be the following business day.

A university-wide call for proposals will be distributed before each deadline. All proposals will be reviewed by two experts in the discipline (Faculty, post-docs and graduate students) using the judging criteria presented in the grant package guidelines.

The research or creative activity conducted by the student generally takes diverse forms of directed research, such as independent research, work on an honors thesis, or part of a larger ongoing study under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty member, rather than work conducted to fulfill regular course or seminar requirements.

Click here for submission eligibility, deadlines, and more program information

Please review the Grant Package Guidelines before submitting a Grant Package Proposal.

Library liaisons are available to assist with research, instruction, and outreach, and can meet face-to-face, online, by phone, or in an instructor’s classroom. Please click on the Boca campus link below to find a librarian in your major/discipline. 

• Boca Campus Library Liaisons by specialization
• Jupiter Campus Library Staff 

Please complete the online application through Survey Monkey Apply (click here for instructions). You will upload your completed grant package to your application online through Survey Monkey Apply. Request a letter of recommendation from your faculty mentor if it is not attached to your Grant Package. The letter can be uploaded through Survey Monkey Apply or emailed directly to ouri@fau.edu.

Please review OURI's policy on use of generative AI in submissions and peer-review prior to applying.

For questions about this program, please email ouri@fau.edu.

This program was established through our University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) as an effort at expanding a culture of undergraduate research and inquiry at FAU.

The Peer Mentor Program is designed to help guide undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing research and inquiry, by providing student mentors. Each summer, 10 peer mentors are selected and are active mentors/researchers for one year. These students will be representatives of all disciplines, colleges, and partner campuses.

Peer Mentors serve as ambassadors for the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry. These students are active researchers who assist their peers in getting involved in research and inquiry by mentoring, hosting workshops, giving classroom presentations, and other activities. Peer Mentors work closely with the Council for Scholarship and Inquiry (CSI) to support this initiative. If you are interested in getting involved in research please contact one of our current Peer Mentors to learn more about how you can get involved!

1. Be in good academic standing at the University
2. Have a minimum of one semester of DIS/DIR or other documented research experiences completed before applying (preference will be given to those applicants with more than one semester of documented research)
3. Commit to a one-year agreement as a Peer Mentor (Summer through Summer)
4. Commit to active participation in the student club, Council for Scholarship and Inquiry (CSI)
5. Commit to continue research in the academic year as an active peer mentor

Depending on the strengths and interests of peer mentors, responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Mentoring undergraduate students interested in engaging in research and inquiry
  • Holding Office Hours
• Student Professional Development
  • “Meeting of the Minds”: a series of events co-hosted by CSI targeting different colleges to expose students to the research being conducted by faculty within the college
  • “How to…” series: a series of workshops developed to assist undergraduates to get involved in research and scholarly activities including ethics, developing a research question, and much more!
• Outreach
  • Orientations
  • Classroom Presentations
  • Tabling Events
• Coordinating, organizing, and actively participating in OURI-Sponsored events
  • OURI Summer Retreat
  • Undergraduate Research Symposium
  • CSI events and monthly meetings
• Attend 80% of the bi-weekly meetings to organize various events

Selected Peer Mentors will have the option to enroll in the zero-credit internship course IDS 3949 that is coordinated through the FAU Career Center. Students will receive a transcript notation for the internship without paying tuition or fees. Undergraduate and graduate Peer Mentors are encouraged to enroll. This will be further discussed at the first Peer Mentor meeting of the semester. The core requirements of this course include:

• Have completed at least one semester at FAU
• Work with OURI for at least 60 hours per semester
• Complete midterm and final evaluation

If you have any questions regarding this course please contact intern@fau.edu.

Selected Peer Mentors will be awarded a $600 ($300 in December, $300 in May) student stipend. In order to have funds dispersed Peer Mentors must have completed the following:

• Attended 80% of the meetings held each semester
• 30 hours of peer mentoring or other related activities (hosted OURI workshops, classroom presentations; and coordinated, organized, and actively participated in at least two OURI events each semester)
• Participated in the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium (Spring semester)

1. Application Deadline: Last Friday of May, annually
2. Interviews: June
3. Notification of Acceptance: July
4. Team Building Activity/Meeting: end of July
5. Annual Summer Retreat: Early August
6. Meetings commence in August

If you would like to apply to become a Peer Mentor with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry please complete the list below:

Please review OURI's policy on use of generative AI in submissions and peer-review prior to applying.

1. Navigate to OURI's Survey Monkey Apply
2. Answer Required Eligibility Questions (under Tasks) by clicking "Start". You must agree to ALL eligibility questions before the Peer Mentor Application will show up under your programs.
3. Find OURI programs you are eligible for (i.e. the Peer Mentor Program) by clicking "view programs". If the Peer Mentor Program application does not show up on your program list, please review your eligibility form: you must agree to ALL eligibility questions before the Peer Mentor Application will show up under your programs.
4. Once you find the Peer Mentor Program, click "Apply Now" to the right of your screen
5. Complete all sections of the online application and be prepared to:
   1. Upload and attach a current CV or resume
   2. Provide a letter of recommendation from your faculty research mentor
   3. Upload your Fall academic schedule
6. Prepare for an interview

**If you have any questions, or difficulty completing your online application please email**

ouri@fau.edu

This application was adapted from the University of Central Florida's Office of Undergraduate Research.

This program is part of our University’s efforts to expand the culture of undergraduate research and inquiry at FAU.

FAU keeps a list of resources for using AI ethically, including AI tools and appropriate citation formats for a variety of disciplines. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry has additional policies on the use of generative AI, outlined here .

OURI recognizes the value generative AI can have in facilitating creativity and assisting in the process of application development. Applicant writers/submitters should be transparent, and “disclose the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used, and how it was used to develop their proposal”. Authors should take steps to avoid plagiarism in AI generated text and should cite and attribute appropriately if any materials are quoted. Ultimately, applicants are responsible and accountable for the accuracy, integrity, and authenticity of their proposal submission including content developed in consideration for peer review. 

To protect the intellectual confidentiality of the proposals submitted, OURI does not promote the use of generative AI tools during the peer-review process for analyzing or formulating peer-review critiques of grant applications. Reviewers are asked to refrain from uploading any content from proposals submitted to any generative AI technology. 

Florida Atlantic University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) has been established in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Animals. The committee is composed of individuals dedicated to the humane care of animals used in research and teaching, and provides oversight and assistance in ensuring compliance to all laws, regulations, and policies governing the care and use of research and teaching animals. FAU's IACUC is composed of scientists, non-scientists, veterinarians and community members who are appointed by the Vice President for Research, the Institutional Official responsible for the animal care and use program. FAU's animal care and use program is regulated by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Public Health Service. University faculty, staff, and students using animals in research, teaching or display must have IACUC approval to do so.

Florida Atlantic University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a federally-mandated committee that oversees the ethical conduct of human subjects research at an institution. Florida Atlantic University’s IRB serves an important role in the protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in research. The IRB reviews and approves protocols for research involving humans and ensures that appropriate steps are taken to protect their rights and welfare. FAU’s IRB is comprised of faculty members representing a variety of backgrounds, training and experience, as well as community members who are appointed by the Vice President for Research, the Institutional Official.

If your research meets the following two definitions then you are involved in research with human subjects: "Research" means a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. "Human subject" means a living individual about whom an investigator conducting research obtains: 1.) data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or 2.) identifiable private information.

For more information visit FAU’s Research Integrity website

The goal of Florida Atlantic University’s Environmental Health and Safety is to provide and ensure a safe and healthy environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors through comprehensive service oriented programs. EH&S is also the primary contact for federal, state, and local regulatory agencies regarding matters of health, safety and the environment.

With regard to Undergraduate Research, undergraduate compliance checks will be limited to training requirements, and any occupational health program requirements, i.e. bloodborne pathogens (HBV vaccination), respiratory protection (doctor’s clearance), etc. related to the research to be completed. Additionally, during compliance checks of research laboratories EH&S will ask for a list of all personnel in the lab so that training status can be verified.

Many safety training courses are available through EH&S to assist in developing safety skills that will help when conducting research when using animals, chemicals, biological materials and much more. For most training classes, EH&S requires that initial training be done in-person in the classroom; thereafter, most refresher training can be accomplished online. Unless it is an extreme hardship, online training will not be allowed prior to classroom training; however, approval of the project can be granted upon the individual registering for the next available required classroom training(s).

Questions to ask about your research project to determine if you may need EH&S review/certification/trainings:

1. Does your research involve Biological Materials/Toxins, Human Blood, Select Agents or Recombinant DNA?
2. Does your research involve radioactive materials, X-rays or lasers?
3. Does the project involve Diving, Snorkeling or the use of Boats?
4. Does the project involve the use of Hazardous Chemicals or Nanomaterials?
5. Does the project involve the production of flame, smoke or heat or any combination of the three?
6. Does the project involve field work (contact dward@fau.edu)?
7. Does the project involve the use of chartered Helicopters or Airplanes (contact dward@fau.edu)?
8. Does the project involve the use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones (contact ehs@fau.edu)?

For more information please visit FAU's EH&S website