Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity at UAF

Don’t just gain knowledge, create it. URSA (Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity) offers opportunities to explore potential career interests, get lab and field experience, connect with new people and travel beyond the world you know.

 
 
 
 

What Is Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity?

URSA supports and develops experiential learning activities for undergraduate students at UAF. It enables students to reach beyond their classes and get in-depth experience. Types of URSA projects could include testing a scientific hypothesis by collecting and analyzing data, creating an original piece of art or music, or developing new technology.

 

Why undergraduate research and scholarly activity at UAF?

UAF is a national and world leader in climate change and Arctic research. We have the highest number of publications and citations in Arctic research of any university in the world. We are also America's northernmost Land, Sea and Space Grant institution and one of only a handful of universities in the nation with this triple-crown distinction.

Undergraduate research and scholarly activity at UAF covers diverse disciplines ranging from music to climate sciences, anthropology, engineering and life sciences. Our researchers are world-renowned in their fields, and many are engaged in cutting-edge work that has a real impact on how we live. More than 40% of all undergraduate students participate in some form of research or creative activity during their time at UAF.

Learn more about research and creative activity at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
 
 

Explore Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

URSA awards funding year-round to undergraduate students to support research and creative projects and travel to conferences to present their work. Faculty also receives funding to support development and implementation of undergraduate research and scholarly activity opportunities. In 2018, URSA awarded nearly $300,000 in research and creative project funding.

Learn more about awards for undergraduate research and scholarly activity
 

Apply for undergraduate research awards

Undergraduate students may apply for several types of awards, including Individual and Group Projects, Individual and Group Travel, Community Engaged Learning and Innovative Technology and Education (ITE).

View undergraduate research and creative activity opportunities
 
 
Join us for Research and Creative Activity Day

Each spring, all undergraduate students are invited to share research presentations, creative projects and more from every academic discipline. Learn more about Research and Creative Activity Day at UAF.

Find answers to questions about undergraduate research and creative activity

Find answers to questions about eligibility for undergraduate research and creative activity opportunities, planning a budget for your project, finding a mentor and more. View the URSA FAQ.

Explore the projects that URSA students have completed

Learn about the wide variety of projects that have been completed with URSA funding. These include Projects, Travel, Mentor, Community Engaged Learning and Innovative Technology and Education awards. (use the page – Award recipients)