Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship

To learn about Professor Shapiro, please click here.

Application

The Department of Psychology is committed to ensuring opportunity in psychology research for undergraduates from groups underrepresented in scientific psychology. Toward this end, the Department created the ENERGIZE program through which students from under-represented groups are paired with potential research laboratories to both energize the student’s interest in scientific psychology and to energize the laboratory’s research by considering new perspectives. 

The Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship was created with the awareness that ENERGIZE students may face financial challenges that preclude their ability to take advantage of research opportunities. The Scholarship is thus dedicated to supporting annually 1-2 ENERGIZE students with documented financial need and demonstrated potential in psychology research with funding of up to $5000.  Funding will allow students financial and time flexibility to devote substantial effort to research endeavors and create a pathway for mentorship relationships with faculty that ultimately support further engagement with the major and profession of psychology.  All students who meet the application criteria will receive consideration for the Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Application Criteria and Expectations: Students wishing to apply for the Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship must meet the following criteria to be considered:

  1. The student has applied to the ENERGIZE program and has been accepted into an ASU Department of Psychology ENERGIZE research lab.
  2. Students must be identified by a faculty member as demonstrating significant potential in psychology research and invited by the faculty member to apply for the Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Students may encourage faculty nominations.
  3. Identified students MUST meet one or both of the following Arizona State University financial need criteria (1) High Financial Need or (2) Unmet Financial Need.
  4. Students are expected to continue with the research lab through the academic year and are expected to devote a minimum of 10 hours weekly to research endeavors including activities such as: work in the lab, attending lab meetings, meetings with the faculty mentor, independent research, community outreach, and other research-related activities.
  5. Students are expected to present their research at Celebrating Psychology Honors in April and/or the Psi Chi sponsored Arizona Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (AZPURC).
  6. Students are expected to create an opportunity to extend access to psychological research into a non-academic community. For example, the student may participate in the ASU Open Door; the student may present findings in an academic course; the student may present findings in the student’s home community, and so on.
  7. The faculty member must provide a letter of endorsement addressing the student’s potential for research and commenting on criteria (4) - (6).

Application and Project Timeline

NOTE: For the Academic Year 20/21 the application process will be adjusted to account for campus disruption due to COVID-19.  First, there will be two application deadlines, each for one scholarship.  The first deadline will be July 15, 2020, with an award announced by July 30.  The second deadline will be September 15, 2020, with an award announced by September 30, 2020.  The purpose of the second deadline is to accommodate faculty and students who are new to the ENERGIZE program.  Scholarship applications should be sent to the Psychology Advising Office (psych.advisor@asu.edu ).  Second, the faculty letter of endorsement should include information about how the student’s lab experience may be affected by COVID-19 restrictions.

  1. Interview and begin participation in an ENERGIZE research lab in the early part of the Spring Academic Semester.  Faculty will identify students who demonstrate potential within psychology to nominate for the Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Students should feel free to encourage faculty nominations.
  2. Completed application materials including the Application Form and Faculty Letter of Endorsement are submitted the Psychology Advising Office (psych.advisor@asu.edu) no later than April 1st.
  3. Scholarship recipient(s) are notified by email on or before April 15th.  The Scholarship award will be for the following academic year (e.g., if the applicant is selected for award Spring 2020, the award period will include the Fall 2020 and may include the Spring 2021 semesters).
  4. Students NOT selected as scholarship recipients may re-apply the following academic year. Students will receive feedback regarding their applications.
  5. Scholarship recipients are ineligible to reapply for Scholarship funding in subsequent years.
    1. Student recipient is awarded $2500 (with a potential for an additional $2500 as described below, see point 7) in scholarship funding by the first day of Fall semester.  These funds will be deposited into the student’s ASU account. Faculty mentor support funds of at least $250 (from Department of Psychology resources) are awarded by September 1st. These funds may be used for any research-related purposes such as participant payment, purchase of equipment, and travel.
    2. August - December: Scholarship recipients and mentoring faculty meet to formulate the nature and scope of recipient’s involvement in the lab and to create an independent poster/publication project that the student will present in April.
    3. By December 15th, recipients and faculty complete the Shapiro Research Scholarship Progress Form

Receipt of the second payment distribution is contingent upon the Committee’s determination that sufficient effort and progress have been demonstrated.

  1. By the first day of Spring semester, student recipients are awarded $2500 in scholarship funding.  Faculty mentor support funds of $250 are awarded by February 1st.
  2. Scholarship recipient(s) present their work at the Celebrating Psychology Honors in April.
  3. By May 15th Scholarship recipients complete a Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship Completion Form.  Note:  This form will be shared with donors.