UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State students in their first, second or third years who are interested in fellowships and funding opportunities are encouraged to apply for the Spark Program. This seven-week, no-cost course will help students discover and understand fellowship opportunities and connect high-impact research opportunities with real-world leadership skills.
Strong applicants will:
- be available to attend at least six of seven workshops over the seven weeks.
- have a deep interest in research and global programs.
- desire to push their undergraduate experience to the next level.
Applications are open now at urfm.psu.edu and close Sept. 14.
If accepted into the program, students will work with Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM) to learn how to create strong applications and resumes for prestigious fellowship opportunities including Fulbright, Goldwater and Rhodes.
Second-year student and Millennium Scholar Ethan Alarcon participated in the Spark Program during his first year at the University Park campus, and said he credits the program with helping him discover research opportunities, especially those with funding.
“The Spark Program really made me more involved in my own work, and it showed me how I can get funding for it,” he said.
The Pittsburgh native is currently working with Esther Gomez, Waltemeyer Mid-Career Biotechnology Professor, in the Mechanobiology Lab, to discover how different genes can affect tumor progression. The Spark program initially introduced Alarcon to research and has grown his appreciation for research in all disciplines, he said, including in the lab.
“I’ve been in the lab for a year, and I am learning every day which is what I love doing,” Alarcon said.
Not only does the Spark Program help students meet other undergraduate researchers in their career field, but it also introduces them to researchers in other colleges in an interdisciplinary environment.
“I got to meet students from all these other majors,” Alarcon said. “I thought it was only going to be chemical engineering, because I’m in chemical engineering, but I met people from psychology, economics and communications.”
All students, including first-year undergraduates and those without previous research experience, are encouraged to apply for the Spark Program. Alarcon said he didn’t know about the Spark Program when he arrived at Penn State but advised first-years to take a chance and apply.
"So, my advice, especially to first-years, is to try and leave as many doors as wide open as you can," he said.
Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring, part of Penn State Undergraduate Education, empowers students to engage in inquiry and discovery by connecting them with research opportunities, guiding them through the research landscape and supporting them in pursuing nationally and internationally competitive fellowships.