Teaching Fellowships

Levenick Undergraduate Research Scholars Program

The mission of the Levenick Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, within the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE), is to empower our students with the critical analytical skills necessary to be global stewards of environmental sustainability while engaging them in advancing the core values and responsibilities of moving toward a sustainable future. The program provides students with a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges for making our campus and the world environmentally sustainable. We strive to assist our students in defining their role as active learners, critical thinkers, and influential leaders. The Levenick Undergraduate Research Scholars Program provides hands-on, experiential learning opportunities with the resources, facilities, and opportunities of a flagship land-grant university.

iSEE is seeking proposals submitted by students interested in independent study, campus honors, term projects, undergraduate theses, or similar research experiences using data describing our campus to assess or advance environmental sustainability. Students are encouraged to collect or use primary data from campus or locally available secondary data resources collected and curated by our campus in their proposals. This experiential research opportunity allows students to assess, evaluate, and advance sustainability on our campus to further the goals of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP).

The iCAP Portal tracks progress made towards iCAP goals and objectives, and could be a potential source of relevant data for student-led projects. Additionally, Illinois Facilities and Services is willing to consider requests for datasets curated by them, many of which are highly relevant and useful for these purposes. For your consideration and inspiration, a list of suggested project themes that have relevance to current iCAP goals are provided here. In some instances, third party data may be of relevance and acquired to quantify sustainability outcomes.

Students are invited to find a faculty mentor and submit a two-page proposal for an independent research project that analyzes the sustainability of campus operations and identifies opportunities to advance outcomes. Students must have a cumulative University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign GPA of 3.30 to meet the GPA requirement of the Levenick Undergraduate Research Scholars Program in iSEE.

Faculty mentors will be provided a $1,000 research stipend per student project they supervise, after the final report has been submitted, for service in excess.

Successful applications will include:

1. A two page proposal with:
   • The sustainability-related problem that will be researched
   • A description of the relevant data sets to be utilized for the project (currently obtained or to be acquired)
   • A description of the relationship of the proposed study to campus sustainability and, if applicable, any relevant iCAP defined needs that would be addressed
   • A description of the tasks involved to execute the project
   • A timeline for implementation of the project, with target completion dates of milestones, such as:
     • Formulation of research question
     • Background literature review complete
     • All data obtained
     • Midterm status summary submitted to iSEE
     • Analysis of data complete
     • Preliminary report submitted to faculty mentor and iSEE by December 2, 2026 for feedback
     • Final report submitted December 14 to faculty mentor and iSEE
   • Plan for independent study credit
2. A one-page endorsement letter from their faculty mentor describing:
   • Mentor-student relationship
   • The learning outcomes the project will create (e.g., development of analytical approaches, data visualization skillsets, or sustainability accounting) and
   • A plan for working with the student (meetings per week, frequency of reporting and so on)
   • A plan for independent study credit
3. Optional: If materials or supplies are necessary to execute proposed research efforts, an addendum to the proposal may be added (1 additional page) including a budget and justification up to $500 for any necessary purchases

At the conclusion of the project the team will submit a report of the outcomes, including a description of the activities executed by student participants, a summary of the sustainability related implications, and any recommendations campus leaders should consider addressing potential concerns. Students are encouraged to present their research results publicly through publication or presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium or other similar venues.

Proposed projects should lead to independent study (or similar) of two or three credit hours for the student and be suitable for completion within a semester. Students may apply for a second semester of independent study if there is satisfactory progress in the first semester. Students must be enrolled full-time at the U. of I., including credits allocated to independent study for this purpose. Students should be enrolled in independent study for the full time they are allocating effort towards the proposed project.

Questions may be directed to: sustainability-education@illinois.edu.