Project Title

AWARDSS -PLUS: Access, Wellness, and Relational Determinants of Student Success: Publishing, policy, practice, Leadership and life-long learning for Underrepresented Students. Typically referred to simply as the AWARDSS Program.

Funding Sources

The Institute of Education Sciences is funding the expanded AWARDSS-PLUS training program (#R305B210019, 2021 - 2026) after our initial success with the original AWARDSS program (#R305B160003, 2016 - 2021). Financial packages including stipends are covered by IES. The UArizona Graduate College has generously covered the costs of summer tuition (6 credits) and fees and will continue to do so pending funds each year.

Overview

The Access, Wellness, and Relational Determinants of School Success (AWARDSS)-PLUS training program at the University of Arizona, is designed to provide upper-level undergraduate students, recent graduates, and masters students with experiences in conducting educational research while preparing participants for doctoral study. The training program includes faculty, students, and recent alumni from the University of Arizona's main campus and its partner, the College of Applied Science and Technology at the University of Arizona. Over the course of the 5-year grant, AWARDSS-PLUS will offer up to 48 students 1-year fellowships.

AWARDSS-PLUS is one of the University of Arizona's year-round Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) programs, collectively referred to as UROC-PREP, designed to increase the participation of underrepresented students in doctoral study. Unlike other UROC-PREP programs, AWARDSS focuses exclusively on education research training and admits UArizona upper-level undergraduate students, recent graduates (in the last 5 years), and UArizona Masters students. As part of the year-long AWARDSS training program, fellows receive training in education research (with a focus on examining individual and societal contributions to student success), conduct research with faculty mentors, develop their writing skills, and receive assistance in applying to doctoral programs.

AWARDSS-PLUS fellows begin their year-long training in the spring with a semester-long writing course and an online course on education research methods. Fellows then participate in the UROC-PREP summer research institute that includes a research apprenticeship with faculty mentors, continued research and writing training, and GRE preparation. During the fall semester, AWARDSS fellows continue their research apprenticeships with their faculty mentors.

For participation in the training program, each fellow receives a stipend, housing and a meal plan for the summer research institute, and a small travel allowance. Post-baccalaureate fellows may also receive additional funds to offset tuition costs.

Interested in finding out how to become an AWARDSS fellow? Please visit https://grad.arizona.edu/uroc/uroc for more information. 

Opportunities also exist for undergraduate and graduate students to join a research team to serve as role models for underrepresented students, engage in scholarship activities (conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications, chapters, grant proposal writing), and be immersed in professional development opportunities to develop one’s own research identity and enhance the development of effective research training programs that prepare underrepresented students for Ph.D. programs. If you are interested in joining our research team, please contact us at COE-AWARDSS@email.arizona.edu.