Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships
Holstrom Environmental Scholarships

Application deadline: February 13, 2013

Purpose

The Hilldale Undergraduate/Faculty Research Fellowships and Holstrom Environmental Scholarships support undergraduate research done in collaboration with UW–Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff.

Award

Approximately 105 Hilldale, and 5 Holstrom, awards are available each year. The student researcher receives $3,000, and faculty/staff research advisor receives $500 to help offset research costs (e.g., supplies, faculty or student travel related to the project). At time of application research mentors can ask for up to an additional $500 (up to $1,000 total) under the following exceptional circumstances: (1) if the proposed project represents new or independent student research, (2) the lab receives no external grant support, (3) the mentor plans to use the funds to send or accompany student on travel related to project. If projects have more than one student or one faculty member together, the stipend levels will vary.

Eligibility

  • Have at least junior standing at time of application
  • Plan collaborative research project with a UW–Madison faculty/staff
  • Plan to graduate after May of the application year
  • Holstrom research proposals must have an environmental focus

Note: While there is no minimum GPA to apply for the Hilldale or Holstrom, projects proposed by students with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or lower are not as competitive.

Other restrictions

  • A student may submit only one application for consideration per year, and previous student recipients of a Hilldale or Holstrom award may not apply for a second award of the same type.
  • Faculty/staff members may submit no more than three student projects/year across all divisions (biological sciences, humanities, physical sciences, social sciences and interdisciplinary).
  • A research project is not eligible if supported by any other undergraduate grant.

Selection Criteria

A selection committee will review all proposals.

  • Quality of research proposal
  • Originality and intellectual significance of research

Note: Applicants who do not receive a Holstrom Scholarship will be automatically considered for a Hilldale Fellowship.

Conditions of the Award

Award recipients must:

  • Register for three credits of supervised research, senior thesis or directed study during the summer or academic year following the receipt of the award in May. This must be done prior to graduation.
  • Have proposals approved by the Human Subjects and/or Animal Care and Use Committee(s) if they propose to use human or animal subjects.
  • Present findings at the Undergraduate Symposium in April of the following academic year.
  • Submit a research report of approximately 500 to 1,000 words upon completion of research, by end of May the following academic year.

Application Process

Apply online through Scholarships@UW–Madison. (Application available in December.)

  1. Log on to MyUW at https://my.wisc.edu
  2. Select the Student Services tab at the top of the page
  3. Find Scholarships@UW–Madison and click on the "Enter Scholarships@UW–Madison" link. This is a new resource developed to help students find department, school/college and campus-wide scholarship opportunities. After logging-in and answering a few yes/no questions, you will be presented with links to applications for scholarships for which you are eligible, with open application cycles. You may want to check the site frequently to see what new opportunities are available. If you do not see the Hilldale/Holstrom application in your list, and you believe you meet the eligibility requirements, please contact the UAA Office (awards@provost.wisc.edu, 265-2428).

The Hilldale/Holstrom Application

     

  • Project proposal of no more than five double-spaced pages with at least 1 inch margins, and no smaller than 11pt font. The abstract and references are included in the 5-page limit, and the proposal should follow disciplinary guidelines. If you are uncertain about how to format your proposal, talk to your project advisor. All proposals should contain the following:
      • An abstract of the proposed research (200 words or less, may be single-spaced)
      • Literature review, detailing the originality and significance of the proposed project
      • Methods section, describing plans for data collection and analysis
      • Timeline for completion of project
      • References (may be single-spaced)
  • A UW–Madison transcript (automatically attached to your online application; you do not need to order a transcript)
  • A recommendation letter from the project advisor, which includes a brief budget statement explaining how the $500 awarded to the advisor will be spent in support of the student’s research. It’s helpful when the letter addresses how long and in what capacity the project advisor has known the student, the originality and intellectual significance of the proposed research, and the student’s ability to carry out the project. The recommendation is submitted online as part of the online application.

Contact person: Julie Stubbs, 265-2428, awards@provost.wisc.edu

Resources

The Writing Center offers workshops on writing proposals for Hilldale and Holstrom Research. Contact the Writing Center to register (263-1992).

Frequently Asked Questions