The Donald N. Langenberg Undergraduate Research Award in Physics

Donald N. Langenberg
Previous Recipients
The Donald N. Langenberg Undergraduate Research Award in Physics is an award based on a gift by UMBC President Emeritus Dr. Freeman Hrabowski in honor of Dr. Donald Langenberg, the previous Chancellor of the University System of Maryland.

Eligibility & General Overview

This award is up to $1000 to an individual student to support the student in performing research carried out in the Physics Department at UMBC.

Students planning to carry out a research project, either as part of the requirements for Departmental Honors in Physics, or simply as part of their educational experience, are invited to apply for this award.

Specific Application Requirements

Applicants are required to submit a complete application by email to the Physics Department Chair, Dr. Matthew Pelton.  At the current time such an application consists of

  • Finding a UMBC Faculty-member to support your application
  • Submitting a full written proposal (at least 12pt; not to exceed 3 pages) to the Physics Department Chair that includes:
    1. TITLE, NAME, and DATE
    2. STATEMENT OF SPECIFIC AIMS, PURPOSE, OR GOALS
      A concise, complete statement of what the principal goal or goals of the research will be. What you seek to discover, create, prove, etc.
    3. MOTIVATION
      Explain why your particular topic is important. Because the “motivation” section is generally based on a literature review, most of the references will be cited here. The motivation section may end in a conclusion about the gaps in knowledge, and the conclusion will lead nicely into a repeat of the statement of the specific aims of the proposal.
    4. METHODS
      Explain how you intend to carry out your research, and therefore, how the specific aim(s) will be fulfilled. You need to explain in enough detail so that a reviewer can judge whether your project has a chance of succeeding.
    5. BUDGET
      Explain how the money will be used. Will this be used to procure materials for the research, to fund dissemination of the results, or to support the student?
    6. EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION
      How do you plan to evaluate your work? Explain how, when you have completed your work outlined in the methods, you will determine whether you goals have been met. How will you, or the intended audience, evaluate your research? If your idea doesn’t work, do you have alternative methods to try? How will your results be shared with the intended community?
    7. ROLE OF THE FACULTY MENTOR/ADVISOR
      Explain how you will interact with the faculty mentor, and how you will ensure that you are performing in your own research project.