Stamps Impact Prize Faculty Mentor Information
Here are some of our most commonly asked questions by faculty as they help students prepare their application.
Helpful Information for Faculty Members
Learn about eligibility, the application process, project requirements, budgets, and your role in supporting students through the proposal and project.
Common Faculty Questions & Resources
Here are some of our most commonly asked questions by faculty as they help students prepare their application.
No, like many granting agencies that significantly limit the use of AI in applications, the advisory committee has decided for a complete ban on use of AI in any part of a Stamps Impact Prize application.
The program is open to a diverse range of research, experiential, and creative achievement projects. The best proposals come from projects/activities from a student’s ideas but within a mentored faculty’s expertise. The Stamps Impact Prize will fund mentored projects over multiple terms in a timeline to be completed before graduation.
You do NOT need to be a Stamps Scholar to be eligible. Current Stamps Scholars receive significant funds to spend on enrichment activities. Applications from Stamps Scholars would be a low priority in funding.
There is no prescribed limit, though applications should be initiated by the student applicant and their chosen mentor. The goal is to receive applications from a wide range of students and disciplines. Prize recipients will reflect the unique ideas and independent initiative of motivated, mentored students. Further, the Stamps Impact Prize is not intended to replace any already existing support for student research, projects or travel in their home department.
Multiple students from the same faculty mentor may submit applications so long as the applications and projects are independent, unique, and student-generated. The Stamps Impact Prize is not intended to support individual ongoing faculty research and creative achievement projects.
The deadline for the faculty mentor letter of support is the same as the deadline for the student applications.
No, awards may not be transferred to other students.
Stamps Impact Prize monies will support student travel expenses to conferences but not that of an accompanying faculty mentor.
Stamps Impact Prize monies will support the purchase of expendable supplies needed to carry out a given a student project but not typically major durable items that equip a faculty member’s laboratory.
Monies to support student summer stipends are handled by the Stamps Impact Prize Program directly and distributed through Payroll Office. Monies for travel and supply expenses are placed into a Faculty-Mentored 25-Account and distributed according to UM’s Procurement Policies. Un-used monies in this account are returned to the central fund for reallocation to future projects.
Yes, if substantial student time/effort will be devoted to the project during periods of non-enrollment (i.e., summer terms when the student is not enrolled for course credit), then the budget may include a stipend for the student for that period of non-enrollment only. Note that such stipends will likely be processed as payments through the university payroll system, and be subject to income tax. Total award amounts are up to $5,000.
Anything that university funds can be spent on could be potentially included in the budget, including commodities/materials, contractual services, research participant incentives, and travel, for example. All costs should be necessary, reasonable, and allocable to proposed project activities. Students are encouraged to consult with their faculty mentor about eligible expenses and the budgeting process. Total award amounts are up to $5,000.
No, the Stamps Impact Prize is limited to current undergraduate students only.
Undergraduate Research Mentor Checklist
Before the Project Begins
- Meet with the student to discuss goals, interests, and prior experience.
- Co-create a short learning agreement outlining: project objectives, time expectations, communication norms, and authorship or presentation plans.
- Connect the student with near-peer or team members (tiered mentoring).
During the Project
- Hold brief, regular meetings (weekly or biweekly) to review progress.
- Provide specific, constructive feedback on technical and professional skills.
- Scaffold skill development in methods, analysis, writing, and presentations.
- Encourage independent problem-solving and reflection on learning.
- Address inclusion and belonging—check in on workload, wellbeing, and climate.
- Document progress through small milestones or deliverables.
Toward Project Completion
- Provide opportunities for dissemination (poster, talk, paper, or blog).
- Discuss next steps—continued research, graduate school, or publication.
- Ask the student for feedback on their mentoring experience.
- Reflect on your own mentoring practices for improvement.
Adapted from Shanahan et al. (2015), Linn et al. (2015), Haeger & Fresquez (2016), and Pfund et al. (2022).