View sample undergraduate fellowship proposal
As a part of its mission to train future water researchers and arrange research addressing water problems and the understanding of water, the Nebraska Water Center is seeking applicants for a new Undergraduate Student Research Fellowship program. Student Research Fellows will propose to work with University of Nebraska faculty to help complete a research project leading to a publication. The fellowship positions will be paid $16 per hour and project activities will take place during Summer 2026, to be completed by August 31, 2026.
Undergraduate students who plan to go into a water-related career field and are interested in gaining research experience and coauthoring a publication are invited to apply. Interested students should have anticipated graduate dates in 2027 or 2028.
Interested students should be full-time undergraduate students at any college or university in Nebraska and available to work full-time up to 35 hours per week during the summer.
To apply, undergraduate students are asked to work with a faculty mentor to identify a research topic and prepare a proposal. Proposals should include the following:
- Statement of Purpose: state the problem you are trying to solve with your research.
- Research Question: a concise statement that includes the question(s) you are trying to solve and flows from your statement of purpose. The research question translates into a thesis statement that you prove or disprove with research.
- Significance of Research: argue for the significance of your research and how it will contribute to the field or the scientific community. Address why the research is important, to whom the research is important, and how the research will contribute to scholarship and/or the community. Explain how your research builds on previous efforts by your faculty mentor or their team.
- Methods of Data Collection: explain in detail how you plan to collect your data, including whether the data is quantitative (numbers or amounts) or qualitative (quality or kind). Define the terms and variables that you’re using in the study and describe how you’ll collect, analyze, and interpret your data.
- Analysis of Data: outline how you plan to analyze the data. Make sure that your analysis will clearly answer your research question.
- Benchmarks: include a realistic and thorough timeline, presented as a series of benchmarks or clearly defined tasks that you can check off as ‘done.’
A sample proposal is linked above.
Students will also be asked to provide a letter of recommendation written by the faculty mentor they will be conducting research with.
If you are an interested student but do not currently have a faculty mentor or research topic, you can contact Ann Briggs at annbriggs@nebraska.edu to get connected with a faculty mentor.
To apply, interested undergraduate students are asked to email their resume, transcript, proposal, and a letter of recommendation from their faculty mentor to Ann Briggs at annbriggs@nebraska.edu. Applications are due March 13, 2026. Selected undergraduate fellows will be notified of their selection by mid-April.
