Kansas State University

Nominate excellent projects now for Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award

Submitted by Sarah McGreer Hoyt

Faculty members are encouraged to nominate outstanding undergraduate research for the fourth annual Kirmser Undergraduate Research Awards.

Undergraduate research projects completed during the current academic year are eligible for this award cycle. The final deadline is April 21, but the awards committee encourages professors to act now in nominating projects completed this fall or last summer.

"We've found that students are dramatically more likely to apply if they're encouraged by their professor to do so," said Cindy Logan, associate professor and head of the awards committee.

Once the award committee receives a nomination, they will contact the undergraduate nominee and encourage them to submit a full application.

Funded by a gift to K-State Libraries from Philip and Jeune Kirmser, the award program includes 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.

The following criteria will be used to select the award recipients:

• Recipients must be undergraduate students who completed research projects in any area of study from the current academic year. Projects must have been completed for K-State course credit.
• 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 library 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.

Philip Kirmser, 1919-2012, was a longtime professor and head of the applied mechanics department at Kansas State University. He also taught in several other departments in the College of Engineering. Jeune Kirmser, 1921-2012, was an educator, social worker and activist.

For more information and complete guidelines, visit the Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award website.