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The Department of Psychology is committed to ensuring opportunity in psychology research for undergraduates from groups under-represented in scientific psychology. Toward this end, the Department designed the ENERGIZE initiative through which students from under-represented groups are paired with 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 to help ENERGIZE students who face financial challenges that reduce their ability to take advantage of research opportunities. Each of up to four $5000 scholarships supports an ENERGIZE students with documented financial need and demonstrated potential in psychology. Funding will allow students financial and time flexibility to devote substantial effort to research endeavors. The funding also creates a pathway for mentorship with faculty that supports 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, physical or mental disability (visible or non-visible), 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:
- Students must be enrolled undergraduates at ASU for the duration of the scholarship award period. Non-enrolled undergraduates and/or post-undergraduate degree students are not eligible for Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship funding.
- The student has applied to the ENERGIZE program and has been accepted into an ASU Department of Psychology ENERGIZE research lab.
- 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.
- Identified students MUST meet one or both of the following Arizona State University financial need criteria (1) Very High or High Financial Need or (2) Unmet Financial Need. Students who feel they qualify as Very High / High Need, but do not have FAFSA documentation on file with ASU, will need to furnish the Scholarship Committee with ASU documentation of their (1) Cost of Attendance, (2) documentation of their anticipated / expected financial aid, as well as (3) any other scholarship, tuition reduction, financial aid or the like anticipated during the scholarship period. From this information the Scholarship Committee will determine the level of unmet need.
- Students should note that Jenessa Shapiro Undergraduate Research Scholarship funds are first applied to any outstanding tuition account balances at ASU before any funds are distributed directly to students for personal use. Nonetheless, all scholarship winners are expected to reduce outside work hours and participate in laboratories for a minimum of 10 hours weekly.
- Students are expected to continue with the research lab through the academic year. The 10-hour weekly commitment to research includes: work in the lab, attending lab meetings, meetings with the faculty mentor, independent research, community outreach, and other research-related activities.
- 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).
- 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, present findings in an academic course, present findings in the student’s home community, and so on.
- The faculty member must provide a letter of endorsement addressing the student’s potential for research and commenting on criteria (6) - (8).
- Shapiro Scholarship recipients are ineligible to reapply for Scholarship funding in subsequent years.
- Students NOT selected as scholarship recipients may re-apply the following academic year. Students will receive feedback regarding their applications.