Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Offers Enrichment Opportunities for UCSB Students

The College of Letters and Science Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) Office coordinates the following programs and activities for undergraduates:

• Faculty Research Assistance Program (FRAP)
• Grants for Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects
• Grant Proposal Workshops
• UC Washington Center Program (UCDC)
• UC Center in Sacramento Program (UCCS)
• Campus Office for National Scholarships and Fellowships
• Annual Colloquium to Celebrate Undergraduate Research at UCSB

Refer to the URCA website, http://www.LTSC.ucsb.edu/urca, for details on the above programs and activities. Or stop by the URCA Office, North Hall 2105, to meet with an URCA staff member.

Undergraduate Research Grants Awarded

The Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Office recently completed awarding URCA grants to undergraduates to support their mentored research projects.  This cycle was especially challenging for us due to continuing budget cuts.  However, thanks to the continuing support from Executive Vice Chancellor Gene Lucas, Vice Chancellor for Research Michael S. Witherell and several generous donors, we had enough money to provide funding to 138 proposals, awarding approximately $94,000.  Students receiving funding will have the opportunity to present the results of their research and creative activities at the annual UCSB Undergraduate Research Colloquium this spring.  This year, the colloquium will be held on Thursday, May 14.  The deadline to submit an entry for this year’s colloquium is Wednesday, April 8, 2009.  Visit www.ltsc.ucsb.edu/urca for more information.

Spend the Summer Interning and Making a Difference in the State Capitol!

All students are invited to apply for the Summer 2009 session of the UC Center Sacramento (UCCS) Scholar Intern program.  Through UCCS, students are placed in a full-time internship that matches their professional and academic interests. They participate in seminars to learn about the history and process of California public policy and continue earning academic credit toward their degrees and graduation.  This program is especially valuable for any students interested in learning more about California economics, public policy, law, business, social justice, and advocacy work.

Here’s what a recent participant had to say about her experience: “I’ll never be able to pay back what UCCS did for me. The internship was a great first job related to my career and gave me the opportunity to prove myself and gain experience. I worked for a great office where they gave me lots of responsibility and helped me learn to trust my abilities.”

The application deadline for the Summer 2009 program is Friday, April 3.  To download the application form, visit: http://uccs.universityofcalifornia.edu/faqs.html

To learn what other UCCS Scholar Interns thought about the program, visit:
http://uccs.universityofcalifornia.edu/InternshipListing.html

To learn more about the program, visit our website at: http://uccs.universityofcalifornia.edu/campusindex.html

The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Summer 2009 Undergraduate Program

The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) is a consortium of 36 leading research universities in the Pacific Rim.  It promotes collaboration among Pacific Rim economies to foster education, research and enterprise, and contribute to economic, scientific and cultural advancement. It is committed to global academic and research standards.  UC Santa Barbara is one of the universities in the consortium.  Details on APRU may be found at www.apru.org.

To further APRU’s objectives, The National University of Singapore University will host a two-week APRU Undergraduate Summer Program centered on the theme “Rising to the Challenge – Global Student Leadership in the 21th Century” from July 13 to 24, 2009. Lessons will be in English and cover topics such as climate change and sustainable development, governance and diplomacy, public health and education, social entrepreneurship, and business and the economy.

The program will include activities outside the classroom to engage students in leadership service projects and introduce them to aspects of Singapore's unique history and culture, such as the Malay Archipelago martial art of Silat, Singapore's Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street districts, the Asian Civilization Museum, the famous Night Safari, and the biodiversity on the island Pulau Ubin. 

Up to two undergraduate students from UCSB will be nominated to participate in this program. The campus application deadline is Tuesday, April 7, 2009.  For the program details and application, visit: http://www.ltsc.ucsb.edu/urca/otheropps.php

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