Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research
The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research/Dean Keith Simonton Prize
Each year a graduating senior who has completed outstanding research in any academic subject while at Davis is awarded the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. The award will be announced and a special plaque will be awarded at commencement in June.
In conjunction with this award, the student recipient will receive the Dean Keith Simonton Prize in the amount of $500. Because of his strong commitment to undergraduate involvement in research, Professor Dean Simonton endowed an annual cash prize for each year's recipient. Professor Simonton's hope is that the undergraduate who receives the prize will have done his/her research on a project that crosses formal disciplinary lines. Interdisciplinary research is that which cuts across the boundaries of two or more disciplines or which integrates the theories, methods, and issues of two or more disciplines.
Seniors who are considered to be in the top five percentile of undergraduate researchers will be nominated by their sponsoring faculty, department chairs, and/or program directors.
Seven copies of the student’s completed, or near completed draft and nomination letter should be sent to the respective associate deans' offices listed below by no later than 5:00 pm on May 2, 2008.
- Associate Dean Ullman, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
- Associate Dean Theg, Division of Biological Sciences.
- Associate Dean Hartsough, College of Engineering.
- Interim Associate Dean McClain, College of Letters and Science.
The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research
Chairs, directors, faculty, staff, or students may nominate faculty who have mentored undergraduate research. The successful candidate must be exceptional for his/her contribution to the education of undergraduates in research. While there is no prescribed format for submitting a nomination, more successful nominations tend to be the result of an orchestrated effort which have included comments by undergraduates who have been mentored by the candidate, observations by graduate students and/or faculty peers who are aware of the candidate's commitment to undergraduates, and demonstrated advocacy for the candidate on the part of his or her chair/director. The award will be announced and a special plaque will be awarded at commencement in June.
Seven copies of nomination should be sent to the respective associate deans' offices listed above by no later than 5:00 pm on May 2, 2008.
