It has become increasingly important in the sciences to obtain at least a portion of your own funding. Applying for grants and scholarships not only bodes well for the completion of your research experience, but it is a great way to enhance your writing skills that will be important for the duration of your career! There are a variety of funding sources available to students internally (see the department’s REU page!) and externally. Funding can help assist in the purchase of supplies needed to complete a project, travel to and from a fieldsite, or act as a stipend for the duration of your experience. Some entities provide housing and living expenses, not all. Budgeting for a research project is similar to budgeting for life, and many times the two are not mutually exclusive. A budget properly ensures that you are getting the most out of your experience, your project has the necessary items for success, and you can return to campus without draining your personal finances. Budgeting can be daunting, even for career scientists who have been drafting them for years, but it is a simple and efficient way to define the necessary costs of a project. We have provided several links that could be used to secure external funding as well as general links on how to budget, personally and professionally.

• National Science Foundation Funding opportunity website. This site also boasts a variety of other resources including how to script proposals, write grants, and approach research.

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517&from=fund

• Lists of external funding available to graduate and undergraduate students

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~ugar/undergrad/other_external.html

• The Scientific Research Societies Grant in Aid Program, an excellent outlet for research funding on a small scale

http://www.sigmaxi.org/programs/giar/

• UK's Chellgren Center website lists several funding sources for undergraduate student research

http://www.uky.edu/chellgren/undergraduate-research/grants-and-scholarships