URSA funding

Internship Awards

Undergraduate students with confirmed volunteer, unpaid internships off-campus are invited to apply for URSA鈥檚 Internship Award.

Award at-a-glance:

  • Award amount:
    Up to $3,000 (Fall/Spring) or $6,000 (Summer)
  • Who can be accepted:
    The URSA Internship Award will accept applications on a rolling basis as long as funds remain.
  • Project requirement:
    Students must have a secured opportunity in order to apply for funding.

 

Overview

Internships are those arrangements in which the stipend or hourly wage does not sufficiently cover the cost-of-living expenses (e.g., housing, food, transportation, etc.). In these situations, URSA鈥檚 Internship Award would serve as 鈥済ap鈥 funding.

 

Past projects

Examples of funded student internships

Ethan feeding a polar bear named Cranberry some salmon at the Alaska Zoo.

Alaska Zoo

Ethan Stone, Summer 2023 Awardee
Interdisciplinary Studies: One Health Perspectives
Internship: Husbandry Intern, The Alaska Zoo (Anchorage, AK)

Kristal in front of a courtroom in Fairbanks.

Fairbanks Veterans Court

Kristal Bozeman, Summer 2023 Internship Awardee
Justice
Internship: Mentor Coordinator, Fairbanks Veterans Court

Alex operating a drone in order to film another mapping drone that the team was test flying in the Mineral Creek riverbed near Seed Media's office in Valdez.

Film Crew Assistant

Alex Long, Summer 2023 Internship Awardee
Interdisciplinary Studies: Ecocultural Film and Photography
Internship: Film Crew Assistant, Seed Media (Valdez, AK)

Grace in front of the American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) during the Eielson Air Force Base - 2023 Airshow. This vehicle is used to respond on Disaster Action Team (DAT) calls, mainly to home fires.

American Red Cross of Alaska

Grace Hopkins, Summer 2023 Internship Awardee
Security and Emergency Management
Internship: Disaster Program Specialist Intern, American Red Cross of Alaska

Alisa Janiger, lead research biologist for California Killer Whale Project, and Shelby documenting Humpback flukes.

California Killer Whale Project

Shelby Thompson, Spring 2024 Awardee
Fisheries
Internship: Intern, California Killer Whale Watch Project (Monterey Bay, California)

 

Award information

Details, eligibility and requirements

  • Must be a degree-seeking undergraduate student
    Students of any year of study, from any UAF-affiliated campus, working toward an Occupational Endorsement, Certificate, Associate's Degree or Bachelor's Degree in any discipline are eligible to apply for internship funding. Middle 久久热视频 Students, graduated undergraduate students, graduate students, and students enrolled in accelerated bachelor's/master's degree programs are ineligible. 
    • UAF 久久热视频es Include: Bristol Bay, Chukchi, CTC, Troth Yeddha鈥, Interior Alaska, Kuskokwim, Northwest
  • Registration:
    • Fall and Spring Awards: Students must be enrolled in at least 3 credits at any UAF-affiliated campus for the funded semester.
    • Summer Awards: Students must be enrolled for at least 3 credits during the spring application semester and must plan to enroll in at least 3 credits for the fall semester following the award. Students who graduate in the spring term when the summer award opens are not eligible to apply.
  • GPA of 2.3 or higher
    Students with a GPA lower than 2.3 are not eligible.
  • **Students may only receive one Internship Award per academic year and one award per internship opportunity (should the opportunity continue into another academic year).**
  • Awardees must complete a Reflection Form within two weeks of completing the internship.
    • Final reporting deadlines will be listed in the award paperwork.
  • Awarded students will receive two evaluations (a mid-point and final review) from their internship supervisor/mentor.
    •  Evaluation forms are to be signed by the student, supervisor/mentor, and URSA Director and submitted to the URSA Office.
    • The evaluation form can be downloaded from the Internship Award webpage.
  • Final products to be submitted with the reflection form include: 
    • 2-3 high resolution pictures of the awardee from their internship opportunity with captions.
  • IMPORTANT: Failure to submit a final evaluation or to submit final products will make the awardee ineligible to receive future URSA funding.   

This award is for FELLOWSHIP FUNDS (student stipends) only.

  • Fellowship payments will be disbursed in three equal installments via direct deposit (e.g., a 6-week internship will receive payments during week 2, week 4, and week 6.)
  • Scheduled disbursement dates will be disclosed in the funding paperwork upon awarding.
  • Funding requests for supplies, services, or tuition will not be considered.
  • This award is intended to reduce the financial barriers to internship participation by covering the difference between cost-of-living expenses (e.g., housing, travel, day-to-day transportation) and funds provided by the opportunity.  
  • The URSA Internship Award will accept applications on a rolling basis as long as funds remain.
    • Opportunities must have a submitted application and be awarded prior to the start date. Retroactive funding will not be considered.
  • Applications will be reviewed and decisions will be awarded by the URSA Office within two weeks of application.
  • Applicants will be notified via their alaska.edu email.  
  • Financial need expressed through the submitted proposal.
  • Student learning outcomes and/or the career/academic benefit articulated in the proposal.
  • Adequate supervision or training as explained in the proposal.
  • Written quality of the proposal.
  • Letter of employment from the external organization.

**Preference will be given to students with volunteer or unpaid opportunities. Students with fulltime paid internships are eligible to apply (e.g., for positions with high costs of living as documented in the application). Please note, applicants are not eligible for funding beyond living expenses.**

 

Apply & manage award

Application and reporting links

Use the links below to download the current request for proposals, submit your application materials, complete mentor confirmation requirements, and access award reflection or reporting forms. Be sure to review all eligibility requirements, required documents, and submission deadlines before applying.

Get a head start on your project proposal today! 

Click here to download the Request for Proposal (RFP) questions for the current award cycle. 

URSA Interns must submit a mid-point and final evaluation completed by their supervisor.

Download the evaluation form to get started.

All URSA Awardees are expected to complete an award reflection where they will also submit their final products.

Click here for the current reflection form. 

Apply for award
Applications are currently closed.