Connect with Us

Your next step is to learn more about how to engage in undergraduate research or apply for a major national fellowship by attending any of the CCRF information sessions, workshops, and signature seminars below. If you cannot attend a session live, you are invited to review recordings archived in our CCRF Resource Library


CCRF Information Sessions, Workshops & Signature Courses

CCRF Common Year Program (CYP): Autumn Quarter Registration Open Now!


HUMA 10000. The Common Room: living and learning together: College is a time for community building – forming lasting friendships, participating in the academic community, determining communities one will serve or professional communities one will participle in. Living and learning in community is, in fact, at the heart of the liberal arts tradition and central to the mission of the University of Chicago’s undergraduate college. But how does one participate in this unique space well? How do we choose friends and what role might they play in our lives? How does one learn to listen carefully to the views and experiences of others? How do we determine what communities we wish to serve? These are some of the questions we will engage with together through a mix of seminar discussions, guided conversation, and reflection.This course is the first in the CCRF Common Year seminar program. In Winter Quarter, you can join us to learn about undergraduate research, and in Spring, to think about your developing sense of purpose. You can learn more about the complete program of seminars online hereAll seminars can be taken independent of each other and are open to all students.

  • Tuesdays: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
  • This is a pass/fail, zero-credit course, so it can be taken in addition to a normal course load.
  • Add this free course to your schedule now - students can also add course during ADD/DROP period!
  • Offered by the College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF), in collaboration with the Hyde Park Institute / Instructors: Dr. Nichole Fazio and Dr. Zack Loveless

Orientation and Welcome Week 2024


CCRF and Friends Open HouseJoin us for our annual CCRF and Friends Open House to learn more about undergraduate research across all disciplines at the University of Chicago, as well as national scholarships and fellowships. Our friends from the University Library and the University Community Service Center (UCSC) will also be with us this year. Meet the entire CCRF team, Library and UCSC staff, as well as upper-division Quad Undergraduate Research Scholars and students who have successfully submitted applications for major scholarships like the Goldwater, Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall, and many more! It’s a great way to learn more about how your peers are pursing research, service, and academic excellence at UChicago and beyond. All students are welcome, but first- and second-year students are especially encouraged to attend; refreshments provided.

  • Thursday, October 3rd, from 12:00 – 1:30 PM in Classics Room 110Please RSVP here

 

Autumn Quarter 2024


Research 101: Start Here! Do you want to get involved in faculty-mentored undergraduate research during your time in the College? Join our introductory session where we share ways the CCRF supports your pursuit of undergraduate research, how to get started in research, and some funding opportunities while you engage in undergraduate research. Group advising sessions will be available for students who have joined the Research 101 session. Register by clicking on one of the dates below

 

Missed our in-person sessions? Enroll in our Canvas Course HERE where we provide information to help you begin Undergraduate Research. After completion of the modules you may register for group advising sessions.


Summer Research Opportunities: We are delighted to host two panel sessions focused on summer research opportunities. Join us for one or both sessions to learn from your fellow peers on how they got involved in full-time research for the summer, their experience, and tips for pursuing your own opportunities. Hear from QUAD Summer and College Summer Institute fellows about their experience with domestic opportunities both on campus and across the nation. Ready to take your research abroad? Come hear from Straetz fellows on their experience conducting research internationally. Register by clicking on one of the dates below:  
 
Domestic Summer Research Opportunities 

International Summer Research Opportunities 


QUAD Application Information Session 

Considering applying for a QUAD Undergraduate Research Grant? Join the CCRF Research Team to hear about eligibility, research proposal template, and general grant writing tips. QUAD Undergraduate Research Grants provide $5000 for students to engage in faculty-guided research during an entire academic year. Students from any major and discipline, and any documentation status are encouraged to apply. View the grant eligibility and application process here, and join our info session to answer any additional questions. Winter Cycle Deadline: Jan. 13, 2025. Register by clicking on the link below. Zoom invite will follow after registration.


Introduction to the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships: Information Session, led by Dr. Arthur Salvo: Join us for an introductory information session about three extraordinary national fellowship opportunities for graduate study in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and at the University of Oxford. Open to US citizens (Marshall, Rhodes) and select international students (Rhodes), UChicago undergraduates and recent alumni are eligible to apply for university nomination as 3rd- or 4th-years, or shortly after graduation. This session will introduce students to the individual scholarship programs and criterion, as well as the campus endorsement process. Open to all disciplines; candidates must have a 3.7 overall GPA to be eligible for any of these three awards. Register by clicking the link below.


Goldwater Scholarship: Information Session

If you’re a second or third year engaged in significant STEM research, come join us for an information session about the Goldwater Scholarship! This program provides up to $7,500 per year to students who are committed to STEM research and a future in mathematics, engineering, or the natural sciences. In addition to covering the basics of the scholarship, we’ll discuss the campus endorsement process, best practices for the essays, and how to identify recommenders. More information about the Goldwater program is available here. Register by clicking the link below. 


Beinecke Scholarship: Funding for PhD Study in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

The Beinecke Scholarship provides $35,000 in support to third-year undergraduates who intend to pursue a PhD in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Applicants must be US citizens with a record of receiving need-based financial aid and a clear research agenda. First and second-year students who are interested in learning more about the scholarship are encouraged to attend. Attendance at a writing workshop is mandatory to be eligible for an advising appointment. To attend, RSVP in advance by clicking the links below.

Info Sessions:

Writing Workshops:


DAAD RISE: STEM Summer Research in Germany

DAAD RISE is a program that offers STEM undergraduates the opportunity to spend a summer working with PhD students on cutting-edge research in Germany. Open to students in the fields of biology, chemistry, earth sciences, engineering, computer science, physics (and closely related fields). Recipients receive a stipend for living expenses, a travel stipend, and health insurance; no knowledge of German is needed. Open to second and third-year students, including non-US citizens. Learn about UChicago student, Zewei Wu, who conducted astrophysics research at the Max Planck Institute in Munich last summer with RISE here.
To attend, RSVP in advance by clicking the links below.

Info Session:

Cover Letter Writing Workshop:


Boren Scholarship: Information Session

Want a funded opportunity to focus on language learning? Curious about how language skills can enhance your academic work and professional development? Interested in career opportunities in the federal government? Come learn about the Boren Scholarship: up to $25,000 for up to 1 year of immersive language study abroad! Open to U.S. citizens in all years and all disciplines of undergraduate study.  


James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program: Information Session 

Students interested in addressing issues of global significance are encouraged to come learn about the Carnegie Endowment's James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program. Junior Fellows are placed as research assistants to Senior Scholars at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., contributing to their research, writing, and policy recommendations on matters from American Statecraft to Global Order and Institutions. In this session, we’ll cover the basics of the program, selection criteria, and campus process. 


Udall Scholarship: Information Session

If you’re committed to taking action on issues of the environment or Indigenous rights, come learn about the Udall Scholarship, which provides up to $7000 to second and third-year students who are leaders in these areas. In this session, we’ll cover the basics of the program and application process, which requires University endorsement. 


Fulbright Information Session

Are you interested in attending graduate school, doing an artistic project, conducting research, or teaching English abroad? If so, please join us for a general information session about the Fulbright US Student Program, the flagship international exchange program of the US State Department.

This workshop will introduce the Fulbright program and the different ways in which this fellowship could help to support your goals after College.


Yenching Academy

Information Session

We hope you will join us for an information session about the Yenching Academy of Peking University, which offers support for a two-year Master’s in China Studies (in English). Yenching Scholars choose from one of six academic concentrations: Literature and Culture; History and Archaeology; Philosophy and Religion; Law and Society; Politics and International Relations; or Economics and Management.

Essay Overview

This workshop will build off of the Yenching Academy Information Session. The workshop will focus on how to get started drafting the written materials required for the first stage of the UChicago Yenching Academy campus nomination process (Stage 1 deadline: October 15, 2024). Please review the first draft templates in the Yenching Academy shared Box folder before the workshop and jot down any questions!

Recorded versions of these workshops are now available in the CCRF Resource Library


Winter Quarter 2025


2025 Conference Series

Join us for our 2025 Conference Series where we share details on preparing for, attending, and communicating your research at a conference. Our Winter Quarter sessions—The Research Abstract—will provide general guidance on crafting a research abstract which is often required when applying to attend an academic conference. The guidance provided for crafting a research abstract for an academic conference may also be applied to crafting an abstract for grants and academic writing.

The Research Abstract

Abstracts for our annual Undergraduate Research Symposium will be due on February 3rd and you are welcome to join an Abstract Peer Workshop on January 30th to get last-minute abstract feedback from your peers before submission. Click on the date below to register.

Abstract Workshop: Peer Review