Immersive Learning Fund

Undergraduate Student Immersive Learning Fund

The College of the Environment supports undergraduate students in furthering their careers, and in making connections to networking opportunities afforded by on or off campus research, capstone and senior thesis experiences, by helping to support expenses for travel, supplies, materials and equipment associated with such experiences. Immersive Learning Fund awards are made quarterly and are competitive. Experiences must be credit-bearing.

Applications are reviewed quarterly (except for summer; see deadlines below) by the Scholarship Committee.

Experiences should be accomplished within six months of the date of the award. Awards will not be granted retroactively for experiences that have already been completed, so please plan accordingly.

Application deadlines:

UPDATE: We are now accepting Undergraduate Student Immersive Learning Fund applications on a rolling basis. Apply anytime! Allow three weeks for reply with an award determination letter. Apply HERE!

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FUNDING

The College realizes that immersive learning experiences can truly accelerate the career of an undergraduate student. Examples include capstone or senior thesis work, summer field internships and research experience. If you have a question about whether the experience you would like to receive support for is eligible, please contact coenvaa@uw.edu in advance of your application.

ELIGIBILITY

  • Applicants may only receive an Immersive Learning funding grant once per degree.
  • Applicants must be matriculated undergraduate students receiving their degree from the College of the Environment. Undergraduates pursuing a minor in the College, but not a major, are not eligible to apply.

FUNDING

Funding maximum is $500 per student per degree.

UW Environment Immersive Learning Funds can be used to support:

  • Supplies/materials, equipment, lab processing costs
    • Note: purchased equipment (e.g. computer) stays with the unit and does not become the property of the student
  • Airfare, bus and other transportation costs
  • Lodging and meals (NOT to include alcohol), up to per diem for the city of travel

UW Environment will not provide support for:

  • Alcohol
  • Accommodation or food expenses above per diem
  • Stipend or salary payments
  • Creation of presentation materials

TO APPLY

Complete the online Immersive Learning fund application which requires the following information:

  • Your name, student number, email, class standing, major(s)
  • Details on the course credit you’ll receive
  • Name of sponsoring faculty/instructor
  • Date range and location(s) of experience
  • Project summary and anticipated impacts
  • A copy of your learning contract/agreement from your faculty sponsor, if available (pdf upload)
  • Detailed budget proposal using the Student Immersive Learning Fund Budget Template (Excel file upload)
    • Use the template to provide detail about your total estimated budget and funding sources. Where applicable, use UW meal and lodging per diem rates. To reduce costs, consider cost-saving measures such as sharing a room with a fellow student/colleague or only requesting the amount necessary for meals or lodging (rather than the full per diem amount).
    • The strongest applications will show requested or approved support from other sources. If you are only requesting funding from the College, please state the reasons why you have not applied elsewhere.
    • Upload your Excel budget file, using the format “LAST NAME.FIRST NAME Budget” when prompted.

Your application is not complete until you have submitted all materials. Incomplete applications will automatically be deleted by the system after 2 weeks of inactivity.

Application review process

All complete applications will be reviewed by the College of the Environment Student Scholarship and Funding Committee, comprised of faculty and staff who are advisory to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. The Committee will submit recommendations, together with a brief explanation, to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, who will make the final funding decisions. Because of the continuing nature of this funding cycle, the Associate Dean reserves the right to sub-select from highly ranked applications in any single quarter, to balance out awards annually.

The Committee will score each application as follows:

  • Statement of how this specific experience will help further career
  • Faculty advisor or supervising instructor support
  • Budget and need

Funding from other sources:

Within the College of the Environment there may be other funding available to support your activities/experiences; see below. Please check with your department’s academic advisor and/or your faculty sponsor to explore options.

  • Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL):
    • Funding is available to support students taking courses at FHL, including research apprenticeships and other fieldwork related courses. Students apply for this financial aid when completing the FHL application by simply indicating if they need aid, and if so, how much.
    • The FHL REU-Blinks Summer Internship Program is specifically focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and provides participants with financial support to meet costs of room, board and round trip travel, plus a stipend ($500/week).
  • Oceanography:
    • The Endowed Undergraduate Student Fund in Oceanography provides financial support for undergraduates in the School of Oceanography to engage in laboratory and field research projects in laboratories, cruises, at Friday Harbor Laboratories and other research-based field programs as well as presentation of student research at conferences. Research-related expenses may include supplies and equipment, ship time, and travel. Direct student support may also be eligible. Eligible undergrads are limited to matriculating Oceanography majors in good academic standing. The students apply by filling out an application, including a research project summary, budget and budget justification, statement/signature from supervisor or sponsor, as well as other information. The due date is in May for research in Summer – Autumn.
  • Program on the Environment, Student Success Fund:
    • This scholarship provides funding (up to $350) to Environmental Studies majors to support student learning. Typically, these funds are awarded to support transportation expenses, equipment or conference attendance fees associated with an environmentally related project. Senior capstone students receive priority for funding though all students in the major are welcome to apply. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
  • School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences:
    • The O’Neill Quinn Aquatic and Fishery Sciences Endowed Immersive Learning Fund provides broad-based direct financial support to undergraduate students pursuing studies in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences who intend to engage in immersive learning opportunities.
    • Some funding is available for capstone projects and to support field work related to courses.
  • School of Environmental and Forest Sciences:
    • Capstone Project Funding can be applied for by submitting the Capstone Award Form to apply for financial support to defray costs incurred to complete ESRM senior capstone projects.
    • The Student Field Experience Support Fund provides financial support to help with the cost of field experiences including course field trips, internships, volunteering, and other activities trips.

Questions? Contact the Student Services team at coenvaa@uw.edu.