About MURACE Summer research funding
The opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in mentored research or creative activities is an important part of Georgia College & State University’s emphasis on transformative learning experiences. Many students engage in scholarship during the academic year, but the most intensive and rewarding work often occurs during the summer months when both the student and their mentor can devote more attention to their work without the pressures of regular semester commitments. This can be very challenging for students who need to earn income over the summer to support themselves.
MURACE Summer Scholarship Funding provides Georgia College & State University undergraduate students the opportunity to work on mentored research or creative projects for 7-10 weeks over the summer while being compensated for their time. By the end of the summer, students should be prepared to share their work at the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC), a conference in the discipline of the project, and GCSU Research Day. Projects from all disciplines are welcome.
The 2026 MURACE Summer Scholarship award amount will depend upon project length. Students and their faculty mentors may elect to engaged in research for a period of 7 weeks, during either May-June or June-July, or they may elect to work on their research project for a period of 10 weeks, from May-June. Students recipients who are selected for the 7-week time period will receive $3,000 (before taxes and mandated deductions) over the course of the project in the form of bi-weekly paychecks. Faculty mentors for these student recipients will receive $1,000. Student recipients who are selected for the 10-week time period will receive $4,000 (before taxes and mandated deductions) over the course of the project in the form of bi-weekly paychecks. Faculty mentors for these students will receive $1,500. Faculty may mentor any number of student research projects, but can only receive a maximum of $2,000 for mentoring multiple students who receive funding. An additional $750 is available to purchase supplies related to the project.
Application Information Details
To apply, students must fill out the MURACE Summer Research Funding Application before April 22nd, 2026. Faculty mentors should approve their student's submission and agree to serve as their mentor by April 24th, 2026. The Faculty Mentor Agreement & Approval Form will be sent to faculty mentors after a student has listed them on their Summer Research Funding application.
The following items will be requested on the MURACE Summer Research Scholarship Funding Application:
- Applicant details (name, major, email address, GCID, GPA, etc.)
- Mentor details (name, department, email address)
- Title of Project
- Proposed Project Abstract (150-300 words)
- Proposed Project Narrative (up to 500 words)
- Proposed Project Timeline
- Proposed Role of Faculty Mentor
- Proposed Budget
If you and/or your faculty mentor needs assistance with writing this application, please contact Dr. Tsu-Ming Chiang via email at murace@gcsu.edu. Contact should be made at least one week prior to the application deadline to ensure appropriate review. Application completion assistance is NOT provided by personnel of MURACE.
MURACE Summer Research Scholarship Funding Application
FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENT DEADLINE
Recipients will be notified of their approval for MURACE Summer Research Funding before the end of the Spring 2026 semester. Further details regarding funding announcements are forthcoming.
Guidelines for Acceptable Projects
In reviewing applications, acceptable projects will include at least one of the following:
- Original scholarship designed in conjunction with the primary mentor, to which the student will contribute substantial research and analysis or application of appropriate creative skills in the case of creative activities.
- Original projects designed by the student that require oversight and support from the faculty mentor(s).
- Community-based, participatory-action scholarship in which the project responds to research or creative activity in collaboration with a community partner.
Student Funding Requirements
- Students must be on-site at GCSU and devote a minimum of 280 hours over a 7-week time period OR a minimum of 400 hours over a 10-week time period (depending on summer research period selected) to their research project.
- Student may NOT take in-person summer courses during the summer research period in which they are funded to complete research.
- Students may not submit team applications. If multiple students are working with the same faculty mentor, each student must submit a separate project application demonstrating their unique contribution.
- If appropriate for the research project, students must apply to the Institute Research Board (IRB) or Animal Use Proposal (IACUC) for research approval.
- Before beginning the research project, funding recipients must complete the MURACE GeorgiaView course (click for instructions to register for course)
- Funding recipients must present scholarship (i.e., research or creative activity) at the Fall 2026 Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (GURC) in November at Georgia College & State University and at GCSU's Research Day 2027. They must also provide detailed plans for presenting scholarship at an appropriate conference in their discipline, including the name and description of the conference, due date for submitting a proposal, and the date of the conference.
- Funding recipients must submit a copy of their final scholarship to MURACE in an appropriate medium along with a copy of an abstract on the research project ready to submit for presentation at conferences.
IMPORTANT: Students will be required to complete their research and all above requirements even if the full funding has been distributed. Failure of the student to complete the project will result in forfeiture of the funding and a hold will be placed against the student until the funding is repaid. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the faculty mentor to ensure that the student researcher is making progress. If, in the opinion of the mentor, the student is not making progress on the project, the mentor should notify the Associate Provost for Student Engagement and Academic Excellence, Dr. Kevin Bucholtz, and the Director of MURACE, Dr. Tsu-Ming Chiang, immediately.