Fund the Future of Undergraduate Research

Weber State University’s Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) fosters a university-wide culture of undergraduate research and creative scholarship. By coordinating and financially supporting scholarly activities, real-world research, artistic productions and travel, we engage students in meaningful research experiences with faculty mentors.

OUR experiences challenge and empower students to push beyond their comfort levels, delve into projects and persevere in problem-solving with the support of faculty members and other students. This involvement enhances their education by providing real-world experience, communication skills, and avenues for networking to careers and graduate study.

The OUR has several key programs that support student research opportunities, including providing research and travel grants, scholarships, research stipends and travel funding to conferences to present their findings. In collaboration with other high-impact programs on campus, we also host a research and engagement symposium that allows students to showcase their accomplishments in research, engineering, and performing and visual arts.
 

Create a Lasting Legacy

OUR currently supports about 5% of WSU students with its programs. To provide continuous funding and increase this impact, we are seeking a $5 million naming endowment — a unique opportunity for a generous donor to leave a lasting legacy and further WSU’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of researchers, scholars and explorers. We also invite donors to consider an endowment to support any one of these programs.

Endowing the OUR programs is urgent because of the difference they can make for our students and our region. Industry partners need more college graduates who have applicable experience and competence. Paid high-impact experiences like undergraduate research create shorter paths to graduation, which helps employers hire better-prepared employees and students realize their earning potential sooner. The six-year graduation rate for students who have done undergraduate research is 17% higher than for the overall student population.

Wildcat Spotlight

Shaunna Goldberry ’92, ’06 is a science educator and project coordinator who completed a seven-year invasive species mitigation project at Big Lake and Kanab Creek Watershed in 2023.

“Upon reflection, I realized that the project's success was directly related to my undergraduate experiences at WSU — particularly my research when I was completing my botany and microbiology majors. Thank you again for the years of support from the undergraduate research project team. It has been a gift of perpetual motion to myself, the projects I've been fortunate to work on, and my many students.”

Support undergraduate research by making a gift today.

To learn more about endowing the OUR, contact a Weber State University development director.