Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must have an established relationship with a research mentor at the time of application. Visit our Getting Started page for information on finding a faculty mentor.

• • Applicants must be matriculated and degree-seeking undergraduate students at the University of Utah.
  • Applicants must not be on academic probation, disciplinary probation, or suspension.
  • Applicants must be attending the University of Utah full-time or part time during the award semester. Summer semester is the exception-you do not need to be registered for classes during the Summer semester as long as you are registered the previous spring and following fall.
  • Applicants who are a University of Utah Dreamer (with or without DACA) are eligible.
    If your status prevents you from working, you may still be eligible to participate. If you are a University of Utah student or a University of Utah student who graduated from a Utah high school, the OUR will pursue a partnership to support undergraduate researchers through opportunities with the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for the experience. If you have questions, please contact Kyla Welch at kyla.welch@utah.edu for more information. Students with DACA Employment Authorization Documents will be hired and paid through U payroll.
  • Applicants must be eligible for University employment.
    All University of Utah students who are able to successfully complete an I-9 Form are eligible for University employment. The I-9 form is used to verify identity and employment authorization and must be accompanied by valid, unexpired documents. More information on the I-9 Form is available online on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services webpage at uscis.gov/i-9. If ineligible for University employment, students may still participate in the program but cannot be compensated for their work. Please contact Annie Fukushima at a.fukushima@utah.edu for more information on this option.
  • Applicants must have faculty mentors who are current University of Utah faculty members. This means that the faculty mentor position title must include "professor."
       -Graduate students who have completed the Undergraduate Research Mentor Development Program (Spring 2021 or earlier), REd Research Mentoring Cohort, or another mentoring program are also eligible to mentor for this program.
       -Postdoctoral fellows and scholars are categorized as faculty and are eligible to mentor students. Please note, that should a fellow have plans to leave the University of Utah, it is encouraged the postdoctoral faculty mentor consider not serving as a faculty mentor. Mentees cannot be reassigned to another professor if their mentor leaves the institution (or is unable to fulfill responsibilities due to other research commitments) and consequently, the student will lose the scholarship opportunity. If you meet a strong candidate and are unable to mentor the student, please consult with your department chair or Dean for mentor referrals and/or consult with the OUR for faculty mentor suggestions.
  • Applicants may be awarded a maximum of two (2) semesters of WSP funding, one (1) new semester and one (1) renewal semester.

Student Expectations

Wilkes Scholars who have been awarded (both new and renewal) are expected to:

• • Attend mandatory Wilkes Scholar Program (UROP) Orientation at the beginning of the award semester.
  • Attend AT LEAST TWO Undergraduate Research Education Series events during the award semester.
    One event must be attended either virtual (live) or in person. Only one event can be viewed via a pre-recorded video (on demand). Your attendance will be verified by a completed evaluation form.
  • Complete a Wilkes Scholar Program Final Report by the end of the award semester.
  • Present your research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS).
    The presentation requirement encourages an open exchange and dissemination of ideas between fields in addition to communication to a broad public audience.
  • Present your research at the Wilkes Climate Summit in May with a research poster.
  • Read and respond to correspondence from the Wilkes Center in a timely manner.
  • Conduct the research project under the supervision of the faculty mentor and as proposed in the application. Substantial deviations from the original project must be discussed with the Wilkes Center immediately.
  • Obtain and maintain certifications as needed for human subject research, animal research, laboratory and other environmental health, HIPAA, etc.
  • Acknowledge support from the Wilkes Center in the dissemination of the research.
    We suggest the following: "This work was supported by funding from the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah awarded to [your name here]." Please download and use our logo.
  • Be familiar with and follow the University of Utah’s policies on academic conduct. Group projects are permitted but each student must write their own proposal. Plagiarism will result in the disqualification of all involved proposals and possible further action per the student code.
    For more information on academic conduct at the University of Utah, see the Student Conduct Code.
  • Sign and comply with the Wilkes Scholar Program (UROP) Participant Agreement.
  • Devise a schedule with your Wilkes Scholar Mentor to ensure you contribute 120 hours of research or creative work to your Wilkes Scholar Program Project. This schedule will be in writing and signed by both you and your Wilkes Scholar Mentor.

Mentor Expectations

The mentors of awarded Wilkes Scholars are expected to:

• Support the student in preparing the Wilkes Scholar Program (WSP) proposal. The proposal must be written by the student.
• Mentor the student in conducting the proposed research. Mentors are asked to detail at least three specific mentoring activities or strategies for the semester in the Faculty Mentor reference.
• Ensure that the student is appropriately certified as needed for Human Subject Research, Animal Research, Laboratory and other Environmental Health, HIPAA, etc.
• Support and reinforce OUR policies with respect to the Wilkes Scholar Program award, including deadlines, the requirement that students present their work at the URS, and the end-of-semester final report.
• Acknowledge support from the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy in the dissemination of the research.
  We suggest the following: "This work was supported by funding from the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah awarded to [student's name]." Please download and use our logo.
• Devise a schedule with the Wilkes Scholar Program student to ensure they contribute 120 hours of research or creative work to the WSP Project. This schedule will be in writing and signed by both the WSP Mentor and the student.
• Review the bi-monthly emails from the Wilkes Center or the OUR requesting a response in the event that the student is not making sufficient progress per the agreed-upon schedule.
• Serve as a reviewer for the OUR and/or moderate at the Undergraduate Research Symposium as needed.
• Complete Mentor Reference. Be prepared to respond to: 
  How long and in what capacity have you known this student? What evidence suggests that the student is capable of successfully completing the proposed project. List at least three specific mentoring activities you will undertake with this
  student. What is your overall assessment of this student and this project proposal? Please explain what you think the impact of an additional semester in the Wilkes Scholar Program would be to the student's educational and career goals.
• Be prepared to rank-order students. When applications are competitive and all scores are high, the next level of decisions will be made based on capping a number of mentees working with a faculty mentor to 4 - pending funds. Should resources be plentiful, the goal of the Wilkes Center is to fund more. Therefore, the cap will not be enacted. This cap was announced in February 2022.