The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum (URCAF) will be held April 25. This year URCAF will be hosted in Woosley Hall.

Schedule:

  • 8:45-9:30 a.m.: Student/judge registration in 231/232 Woolsey Hall, Mahan, McKay and Lucas Room
  • 9:30-12:30 p.m.: Poster presentations in the atrium of 231 Woolsey Hall
  • 12:30-2 p.m.: Boxed lunches will be provided for each presenter and judges
  • 2-2:30 p.m.: URCAF awards ceremony, 231 Woolsey Hall

More Information

  • URCAF requires free standing/tri-fold posters for participation. It is the student’s responsibility to bring their free-standing posters.
  • Abstract submission deadline is April 18. URCAF abstracts should be submitted by the deadline posted. Keep in mind that the abstracts can describe research in progress, not necessarily research that is completed at the time of abstract submission.
  • Eligibility: All undergraduate students in good academic standing are eligible to participate either individually or as a team. Undergraduate research and creative activity must be completed during the summer 2024, fall 2024 or spring 2025 semesters.
  • Requirements: Students must submit an abstract (see abstract instructions). Student presentations may include material that has been or will be presented elsewhere. Students are responsible for providing and transporting any necessary equipment and/or materials needed for their presentation.
  • Poster presentation: The posters will be displayed on tables, so make sure that the posters are free-standing (or tri-fold posters). Space is limited, so the posters, as displayed, must be no more than 48” wide. In-house electricity will not be available, so students should provide their own batteries if electricity is necessary for the poster presentation. Students should be stationed at his or her poster during the viewing session

For any questions, comments or concerns, contact Dr. Semih Tartaroglu at semih.tartaroglu@wichita.edu

Internal Grant Opportunity - Office of Research

Award for Research/Creative Projects in Summer (ARCS) round two proposals are due to the Office of Research no later than 5 p.m. Friday, April 18. The ARCS opportunity provides funding of up to $4,000 to enable faculty to pursue research or creative projects during the summer. Proposers must work with a grant specialist in the Office of Research prior to submission, and all complete applications require an endorsement from the chair and dean.

Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed or considered. Contact proposals@wichita.edu no later than April 4 to get started or visit the website for additional information.

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Hub (UReCA) encourages students, faculty, staff and local businesses to check out its research opportunities webpage. UReCA has updated it with the Connect Database, outside research opportunities and a submission link for local employers needing research assistants.

Send questions, comments and concerns to undergraduateresearch@wichita.edu.

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Reminder: Reach out early to the Office of Research, as soon as you have identified a potential funding opportunity that you wish to apply for. Early notifications allow the Office of Research to minimize the risk of missing agency deadlines, to fix potential errors, to ensure compliance with WSU policies and procedures, and to ensure the best service from the office.

For access to WSU’s Pivot account to search for funding opportunities, sign up and affiliate with Wichita State using your WSU email address. To request assistance with a customized search, contact funding@wichita.edu.

If you are asked to collaborate on a externally sponsored project or if you find a potential funding opportunity, email proposals@wichita.edu as soon as possible so that a grant specialist may be assigned to assist. Visit the Pre-Award Services website to find out more about applying for external funding.

Internal Grant Opportunity - Office of Research

Proposals are due to the Office of Research for University Research/Creative Award (URCA) projects no later than 5 p.m. April 4. The URCA opportunity provides funding of up to $4,500 for faculty to retool or reestablish productive research/creative projects or as seed money to develop pilot data where external funding is available.

Proposers must work with a grant specialist in the Office of Research prior to submission and all complete applications require an endorsement from the chair and dean. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed or considered. Contact proposals@wichita.edu no later than March 21 to get started or visit the website for additional information.

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Hub (UReCA) invites students and faculty to participate in the Connect Database. The purpose of the program is to connect undergraduate students and faculty to conduct research.

If you have questions, contact UReCa at undergraduateresearch@wichita.edu.

Recent reports of datasets no longer accessible from public websites, such as data.gov, have prompted questions and some concerns among the academic community. It is important to note that this is not a new phenomenon. Public data sets, including the 300,000 datasets hosted or linked on data.gov, are constantly evolving. Access to data sets can be compromised for a variety of reasons. Sometimes links are removed from government websites by government officials, but in other cases, because the government website is only an aggregator, the underlying dataset source may be corrupt or unavailable. 

Although loss of datasets on public websites like data.gov will always be an issue, keep in mind that the dataset may exist elsewhere on federal government websites or they may be re-hosted elsewhere. Datasets are also frequently downloaded by researchers and students before they are removed. Federal publications, including datasets, are generally not protected by copyright. Because of this, there are nonprofit organizations that work to archive datasets. WSU Libraries is a member of one such organization: ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research), which archives and makes available political and social science research data. Federal agencies have also deposited datasets directly with ICPSR. Because ICPSR is managed by the University of Michigan, changes to data.gov won’t affect existing datasets ICPSR. ICPSR can be accessed from WSU Libraries’ A-Z databases webpage.

Have additional questions or need help with a government dataset that is no longer available? Contact your discipline’s subject librarian or Ginger Williams, the WSU Libraries’ collections strategist, for assistance.

As the federal administration transition unfolds, new executive orders and policy changes are shaping federal research funding, compliance requirements and other areas affecting our university community. To help navigate these changes, the university has established a “Federal Administration Transition – Guidance for Researchers” webpage, which will provide up-to-date information on how new federal directives may impact research, funding and compliance.

This webpage will serve as a central resource for faculty, researchers and staff to stay informed about key developments, including:

  • Executive orders affecting federally funded research
  • Changes in federal agency priorities and compliance requirements
  • Guidance on hiring and award management in light of potential funding shifts

We encourage you to check the webpage regularly, as updates will be posted as soon as information becomes available. Keep in mind that federal agencies are still interpreting new policies, so there may be a delay in full implementation and university-specific guidance. We appreciate your patience as we work to provide the most accurate and timely information possible.

For specific questions or concerns, contact the responsible Office of Research:

  • If your award is supported by the Academic Office of Research, reach out to postaward@wichita.edu.
  • If your award is supported by the IDP Office of Research, reach out to contracts@idp.wichita.edu.
  • If you are not sure, feel free to reach out to either office for additional guidance on which office supports your award.

Are you interested in gaining undergraduate research experience in your field? The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Hub is designed to match undergraduates interested in research with a faculty mentor conducting research to form an undergraduate research experience like no other.

If you are interested in this opportunity, fill out the survey. For questions, contact undergraduateresearch@wichita.edu.

The Regional Institute on Aging (RIA) is pleased to announce a new funding opportunity for graduate student or faculty projects and research that addresses issues related to facilitating well-being in older adults. This funding opportunity is supported by a gift from the estate of Evelyn Cassat.

Funding will be provided for projects and research at WSU that contribute to the knowledge and practice related to well-being in older adults. Projects of all types will be considered, however particular attention will be given to proposals containing an intergenerational component and that align with this year’s focus area of enhancing well-being through physical activity and social connections.

The RIA is currently requesting letters of intent through Feb. 10 with full proposal applications due March 15. Note that the required letters of intent are aimed at assisting the RIA director with finding suitable reviewers for all proposals.