Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some answers to some commonly asked questions about the STAMPS application process
Common Student Questions
Get some additional insight on preparing your application.
We anticipate students will have identified a faculty mentor through classroom and/or laboratory/studio experiences. Such interactions often lead to student-initiated research or creative achievement projects. Students looking for a mentor on a research or creative achievement project should contact the Director of the Stamps Impact Prize for assistance in identifying a faculty with expertise in that area.
Student proposals can be on ANY topic so long as that project is student-created and aligns with a faculty’s expertise.
The Stamps Impact Prize will provide support for projects over multiple terms (and summers if needed) typically during a student’s Junior and/or Senior years.
You do NOT need to be a Stamps Scholar to be eligible.
Stamps Scholars receive significant funds on enrichment activities and their applications would be a low priority in funding and only after exhausting existing enrichment funds.
No, the Stamps Impact Prize is limited to undergraduate students only.
Common Faculty Questions
Here are some of our most commonly asked questions by faculty as they help students prepare their 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.
Common Student and Faculty Questions
Applying for STAMPS requires collaboration between faculty and students. Here are some commonly asked questions.
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; whatever stipend amount is proposed, add 3% of that to the budget for fringes. 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.