Support for Research
Truman State recognizes the importance of a higher education institution to conduct academic research, not only to develop new knowledge and strategies, but also to help educate students on how to engage with the processes. In honor of senator’s Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall’s public service in the House of Representatives, Truman State University facilitates student access to the Udall Scholarship, a $5,000 fellowship to allow for research that protects “national heritage through studies in the environment and Native American Health and Tribal Policies.”
For additional information about the fellowship, click here.
Because Truman State is a member of COPLAC, or Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, many of our students have even more resources to pursue their research. Students at Truman State have the opportunity to present the results of their undergraduate research at regional conferences where they can meet and discuss their work with peers and faculty members. Undergraduate research projects span the disciplines and afford students the prospect of intellectual engagement beyond the formal classroom setting. Outstanding projects are featured in COPLAC’s online research journal Metamorphosis. This creates a community of learning not only within our university, but all across the country, and gives both faculty and students a spotlight in which to highlight their work.
Office of Student Research
The Office of Student Research provides many different venues for both undergraduate and graduate students to participate in original research, whether classroom-based or faculty-directed research projects. There are also several summer research programs dedicated to fostering student research, such as the McNair Program and the TruScholars Program. In addition, students have access to Grants-in-Aid of Scholarship and Research that support original research done by students in all disciplines.
Student Research Conference
The SRC is an annual research conference that offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to present their case studies, experiment findings, and other academic papers they have completed during their time at Truman or abroad to an audience of faculty and peers. The area of Environmental Studies has been specifically integrated into this program since 2008. Every April, Truman holds an Environmental Studies Conference, a specialized research conference in which various students, faculty, and guest speakers give presentations on subjects concerning sustainability efforts in the community and on campus. Presentations in the past have included subjects from literary ecocriticism to biological research on various aspects of campus, and attendees generally find the conference enriching and a great way to further environmental awareness and research at Truman.