Grants
The Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship offers funding twice per year (fall and spring) in support of faculty-led undergraduate student research, scholarship, and creative activity. Faculty and students in all academic disciplines are encouraged to submit proposals.
Funds can be used to towards travel or the purchase of materials and supplies necessary for the project. Individuals may submit one proposal (travel or materials) per seasonal round.
See previously funded projects below.
CURS Grants Call For Proposal
Fall Grant Period: August 1-31
Spring Grant Period: January 1-31
Faculty
All details are in the Call for Proposals.
Faculty may submit an application needed to conduct research or scholarly work OR an application for travel to conduct or present research or scholarly work in collaboration with one or more undergraduate students. Please note: Faculty must accompany the traveling student(s) to the research experience to receive funding from CURS. Review the Call for Proposals prior to submitting an application.
Faculty research projects must be submitted to the CURS Undergraduate Research Opportunity Portal by August 31st (Fall) / January 31st (Spring) to be reviewed for CURS funding. Documentation of research courses (ex. CURS 2990, HONR 3990H, or Department 4990) for students to receive funding. CURS abides by the add/drop deadline set forth by the Registrar's Office. CURS Course Request Form
Submit an Application Through InfoReady
Students
All details are in the Call for Proposals.
Undergraduate students may submit an application for travel to conduct or present research or scholarly work produced in collaboration with a faculty mentor.
Student travel grants must be student-written (a faculty mentor may review the proposal), and these submissions are weighed against other student applications. Review the Call for Proposals and evaluation rubric for guidance.
**Note that all travel grants, with the exception of registration fees, operate on a reimbursement basis. Travel must be completed and student must submit receipts in order to receive the granted funds.**
Documentation of research courses (ex. CURS 2990, HONR 3990H, or Department 4990) for students to receive funding. CURS abides by the add/drop deadline set forth by the Registrar's Office. CURS Course Request Form
Submit an Application Through InfoReady
Process & Timeline
|
Timeline (Fall Round/ Spring Round) |
Materials (Faculty only) |
Travel (Faculty and Students) |
|---|---|---|
|
Deadline: Aug 31 / Jan 31 |
Faculty member applies for funding through CURS website. Must include CURS Materials Budget sheet. |
Faculty member/ Student applies for funding through CURS website. Must include AU Travel Authorization form and CURS Travel Budget sheet. |
|
September/ February |
CURS review process and notifications via email |
CURS review process and notifications via email |
|
First 2 weeks of October/ March |
Funds distributed to faculty department for purchase 1, 3 |
|
|
July - December / January - May |
|
Travel activity2 |
|
Approx. 1 week following TES submission |
|
Funds distributed to faculty/student for reimbursement |
|
May/ December |
Grant Final Report due
|
Grant Final Report due
|
Notes. Dates are based upon FY2025. Consult purchasing for AY26 deadlines.
1 Faculty member is responsible for abiding by all university purchasing deadlines and rules (April 4 - technology software; May 16 – purchase requisitions; May 2 - technology hardware purchases; May 27 - P-Card purchases)
2 Travel Expense Statements (TES) and accompanying receipts must be submitted to CURS within 30 days after return. May 31 – last day for traveler to submit TES to CURS. First Friday in June 13- last day for CURS to submit Travel Expense Statements to Accounts Payable.
3 Note all software and technology purchases must be approved through IT request process before the purchase can be made. Allow ample time for this process.
Please contact Elizabeth Eisner if you have any questions.
Tips for Writing a Competitive CURS Proposal
2025 Funded Projects
2025 Fall Grant Awardees
|
Faculty Mentor |
Department |
Student(s) |
Title of Project |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dr. Dawn Langley-Brady |
Nursing Science |
Brandi Bramwell |
The Effect of Zingiber officinale (ginger) Essential Oil on Pain-Pressure Threshold |
|
Dr. Stacy Bennetts |
Biological Sciences |
Nelson Lau |
Potential for saltwater bioremediation? An investigation of metal tolerance and accumulation in Spirulina |
|
Dr. Shogo Mori |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Katie Rounds |
Natural product discovery through gene mining |
|
Dr. Syed Adeel Zaidi |
Vascular Biology Center |
Rinu Sabu |
Role of ornithine decarboxylase in retinopathy of prematurity |
|
Dr. Deborah Jehu |
Community and Behavioral Health Sciences |
Kelvyn Owolabi, Nastia Zviagintseva
|
Predictors Of Falls In Older Males And Females With Concussion |
|
Dr. Faith Wiley |
Biological Sciences |
Temmie Siebert |
Development of a Detoxification Assay in Lumbriculus variegatus (Blackworm) |
|
Dr. Robert Cromer |
Biological Sciences |
Alyssa LaFlammee |
Mercury Uptake in Wetland Plants |
|
Dr. Jennifer Bradford |
Biological Sciences |
Kayla Wilder |
Does CXCR3/CXCL10 Expression in Human Macrophages Change in an NF-kappaB Dependent Manner When Co-cultured With Triple Negative Breast Cancer? |
|
Dr. Matteo Borgini |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Khadijah Ladoo |
Optimization of First-in-Class Nrf2 Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment |
|
Dr. Siva Panda |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Holden Dinkins, FaithAnn Ferguson, Anshuman Khadanga |
Empowering Undergraduate Researchers Through Conference Engagement and Mentorship |
|
Student Travel Awards |
Major |
Mentor |
Mentor Title of Project |
|
Jasmine Baidoo |
Cell and Molecular Biology |
Dr. Evan Goldstein |
Oligodendrocyte Histone Methylation in Preterm Infants |
|
Aeris Xiong |
Neuroscience |
Dr. Evan Goldstein |
Prevalence of Oligodendrocyte H3K9me3 in Mice Housed in an Enriched Environment |
|
FaithAnn Ferguson |
Chemistry |
Dr. Siva Panda |
Design And Synthesis Of Diarylpiperidinone Conjugates: A Potential Therapy For Skin Cancer |
|
Brandi Bramwell |
Kinesiology |
Dr. Dawn Langely-Brady |
The Effect of Zingiber officinale (Ginger) Essential Oil on Pain-Pressure Threshold |
2025 Spring Grant Awardees
| Faculty Mentor | Department | Student(s) | Title of Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Dawn Langley-Brady | Nursing Science | Stephanie Felonta | Changes In Pain-Pressure Threshold After Inhalation Of Essential Oils |
| Dr. Brittany Pinkerton | Kinesiology | Ana Ayala-Cosme | Get Fit! With Math & Lit |
| Dr. Jennifer Cannon | Biological Sciences | Eli Davis & Emiliano Huerta | Effects Of Citrus Peel Extracts On MCF-7 Cell Survival |
| Dr. Faith Wiley | Biological Sciences | Temmie Siebert | Development Of A Detoxification Assay In Lumbriculus variegatus (Blackworm) |
| Dr. Matteo Borgini | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Kyara Vences; Emil Ayala-Cosme; Deborah Yang | Developing Treatments for Resistant Glioblastoma |
| Dr. Jia He | Mathematics | Syann Ford | Constructive Mathematics Pathways Leveraging Experiences for Advancing Prospective Teachers’ Learning |
| Dr. Lynn Glenn | Nursing | Paige Sheppard |
Occupational Physical Activity Influence on Hispanic Agricultural Workers’ Diabetes
Risk
|
| Dr. Shogo Mori | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Rain Crippen & Timothy Pagsisihan | Exploring new drug candidates from nature and laboratory |
| Dr. Vy Nguyen | Psychological Sciences | Alma Almasarwah & Katelyn Wood | Asian and Latino Americans’ Perceptions through the Racial Position Model |
| Dr. Vivian Lui | Georgia Cancer Center | Madison Badgett & Kamani Barnes | Mutations regulating PD-L1 expression in Head and Neck Cancer |
| Student Travel Awards | Major | Mentor | Title of Project |
| Favor Aruna, Shivam Patel, Helen Blackstone | Biology; Cell and Molecular Biology; Chemistry | Dr. Shogo Mori | Enzymatic engineering: investigating flexibility of the homologation enzyme HphA |
| Emil Ayala-Cosme, Kyara Vences, Deborah Yang | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Matteo Borgini | Microwave-Assisted Solid-Phase Synthesis of Biologically Active Peptides; Peptides As Protein-Protein Interaction Inhibitors: Synthesis of Novel Nrf2 Blockers |
| Caroline Troedsson | Biological Sciences | Dr. Brian Agee |
Cleaning Up a Pharmaceutical Pathway: The Development of a Greener Synthesis of Phenacetin
|
| Jeff Brainard | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Shaobin Miao | Synthesis Of A Stable N-substituted Pentacene |
| Holden Dinkins | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Siva Panda | Diarylpiperidinone conjugates: A new frontier in anticancer drug development |
| Autumn Richards | Psychological Sciences | Dr. Sabina Widner |
Financial Worry And Academic Motivation In College Students
|
| Alma Almasarwah | Psychological Sciences | Dr. Vy Nguyen | Asian and Latino Americans’ Perceptions Through the Racial Position Model |
| Stephanie Felonta | Nursing | Dr. Dawn Langley-Brady |
Changes in Pain-Pressure Threshold After Inhalation of Essential Oils
|
| Brianna Lynn | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Siva Panda | Hybrid conjugates of fluoroquinolones: A new approach to antibacterial therapy |
| Simran Bhikot | Biological Sciences | Dr. Paul Langridge | Sending/Receiving Cell Populations In The Drosophila Wing Imaginal Disc |
| Gina Kelley | Biological Sciences | Dr. Stacy Bennetts | Chloroplasts From The Past: Digitizing Augusta University’s Herbarium |
| Madina Afzali | Kinesiology | Dr. Satish Rao | Assessment and Validation Of Electronic Gas and Bloating Diary |
| Syann Ford | Psychological Sciences | Dr. Jia He | Constructive Mathematics Pathways Leveraging Experiences for Advancing Prospective Teachers’ Learning |
| Jordan Singh | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Brian Agee | Development of a Green Technique to Extract The Flavorant Coffee |
| Nakya Garnett | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Brain Agee | Green Extraction of Salicylic Acid From The Voodoo Lily for Aspirin Synthesis |