Kansas State University

Apply now for a Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award

Submitted by Sarah McGreer Hoyt

K-State Libraries encourages students to apply now for the second annual Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award. The award, which is given at the end of each spring semester, is funded by a gift to K-State Libraries from Philip and Jeune Kirmser.

The award recognizes three major categories:

• Individual freshman projects: $1,000 grand prize
• Individual undergraduate projects, non-freshman: $1,000 grand prize
• Undergraduate group project: minimum $2,000 grand prize.

Additional honorable mention awards will be acknowledged in each category.

While the deadline is April 25, the committee encourages applications now for projects completed last semester.

"We are excited about the second year of this awards program, generously funded by the Kirmser family," said Lori Goetsch, dean of K-State Libraries. "Undergraduate research is one of the cornerstones of K-State 2025, and we are happy to play a part in achieving that goal."

The award committee will use the following criteria to select the award winners, though a complete rubric is available online:

• Recipients must be undergraduate students who completed research projects in any area of study from July 1, 2014, through April 25. Projects must have been completed as a requirement for a K-State course.
• The project does not necessarily have to be a paper; it could be a poster, video, sound recording, artwork, website or something else entirely.
• At least 50 percent of the research work must have been completed while the applicant was enrolled at K-State as an undergraduate.
• Use of K-State Libraries' resources to complete the project is highly encouraged.
• Projects will be scored based on creativity, organization, appropriateness of scope, quality of presentation and appropriateness of attributions.
• Applicants must complete an essay about their research process and any use of library resources.

Students with questions about the award are encouraged to contact Jason Coleman, undergraduate librarian and Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award Committee chair, at coleman@k-state.edu or 785-532-7427.

The committee strongly encourages students to review the scoring rubric that the committee uses to in reviewing submissions, especially the essay criteria.

For more information and complete guidelines and a look at last year's winners, visit the Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award website.