RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Department-Funded Opportunities
The Department of Geography and the Environment supports research in a wide range of sub–disciplines in the areas of environmental science, geography, and the geospatial sciences. Many opportunities exist for undergraduate students to work closely with an individual faculty mentor on their research, including department-funded opportunities.
Department of Geography and the Environment Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (GEV-SURF)
Undergraduate majors interested in summer research under the guidance of a faculty mentor are invited to submit an application for the Department of Geography and the Environment Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (GEV-SURF). Successful applicants will receive a $3,500 stipend (10-week, 35 hours per week), funding for research supplies, and on-campus summer housing and board. The call for applications will be distributed to majors in the spring semester. The SURF program is made possible in part through a generous donation from Robert Trainor.
Villanova Social Science Summer Research Apprenticeship Program (VSSA)
The Villanova Social Science Summer Research Apprenticeship Program (VSSA) provides support and community for undergraduate students involved during the summer in a faculty research program. The program provides a bridge from the First-Year Match program that supports research involvement during the first year and the VURF program tailored for students at an advanced stage. VSSA provides a platform for student involvement in faculty research project during the summer in a way that benefits the student and the research project, and it is intended to facilitate interaction among the students and faculty in CLAS departments that have a social science approach in common.
Enhancing Diversity in Geography and the Environment (EDGE) Fellowship
The Department of Geography and the Environment is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Enhancing Diversity in Geography and the Environment (EDGE) Fellowship is designed to provide undergraduate student majors in the Department of Geography and the Environment from groups underrepresented in the disciplines of Geography, Environmental Science, and Environmental Studies with financial support to conduct research or pursue otherwise unpaid internship opportunities.
Conference Travel Funding
The Department of Geography and the Environment encourages students to present their research at professional conferences and will provide modest financial support for conference travel. Undergraduate students must also apply to the Center for Research and Fellowships (CRF) travel grant, which will support travel up to $500. The Department may support student travel above the amount awarded by CRF as needed, or support travel that CRF is unable to fund. Students should submit their conference abstract and an itemized budget request to their faculty mentor (the materials required by CRF), who will then forward the request to the Department Chair along with a note about the amount of funding, if any, they are able to provide to support student travel.
College and University Resources
In addition to resources and opportunities through the Department of Geography and the Environment, Villanova provides support to undergraduate students in all aspects of their collegiate experience and beyond through the centralized services.
Research funding opportunities include:
- Villanova Undergraduate Research Fellowship (VURF)
- Summer Housing Award
- Villanova Match Research Program for First Year Students
- Falvey Scholars Award
Additional resources:
