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Advance Leaf Awards

The Leaf Award celebrates students who have achieved excellence while completing a Student Research Experience (SRE) or disseminating information about a SRE they have worked on. The Advance Student Research Experience (ASRE) Program at UL Lafayette defines a SRE as a sustained effort by a student to apply subject knowledge, skills, and abilities to a project that is valued by the discipline. The Student Center for Research, Creativity, and Scholarship (SCRCS) houses the ASRE program, which supports the increase of undergraduate students' productivity and success through engagement in research, innovative projects, and creative endeavors.

Eligibility

  1. Students must be a degree-seeking undergraduate student at UL Lafayette during the award period.
  2. Any Faculty or Staff may nominate students. However, the student’s mentor must approve and will be required to submit some supporting materials. 
  3. Students may be nominated and awarded in more than one category. 
  4. Leaf Awards are given to students conducting projects that constitute work that is original, or substantive given the standards of their discipline.
  5. Students from any major will be considered for any category, however, students will be more competitive when nominated in a category that fits the research project they conducted.
  6. Students can be nominated conducting work that is not considered part of their major, but is substantive according to the standards of the discipline the award is given in.
Key Terms:
Nominee=Undergraduate Student
Nominator*=Any Faculty or Staff nominating a student
Mentor*=The Project Mentor for the student nominee
*The Nominator and Mentor can be different or the same.

Nomination Process

A call for nominations will go out via the University Announcements, the advane.louisiana.edu website, and it will be emailed to all Deans and Department heads. Those nominating students will be asked to fill out a Microsoft form about the student they are nominating. The nominator will also be asked to request supporting documentation from the student and mentor if necessary.
 
The following documentation is required:
  • Completed nomination form
  • Student resume or curriculum vita
  • UL Lafayette unofficial transcript
  • Description of the research, creative or scholarly project, or project abstract (written by student approved by mentor 300 word or less)
  • Support from nominator (300 word or less)
  • Support from project mentor (must explain importance of the student’s work, 300 word or less)
  • Impact Support from project mentor (must explain the impact the student’s work has on the University, local and global community, 300 words or less)

Selection Process

An award committee will choose up to three awards for categories 1-16 using the information from the completed nomination forms. The Provost will choose students for category 17 using information provided in the nomination forms and by the award committee. 

Award Categories and Descriptions

Up to three awards will be given for each category listed below except for the Provost Award. Up to four Provost Awards may be given. Awards will only be given if there is a competitive student in the category. Categories are not limited by major or discipline, however, students will be more competitive when nominated in a category that fits the research conducted. 
 
Each student’s work can be nominated in three different categories. Nominations are not required for the Provost Award. These will be chosen from the students winning in other categories.
 
Award in Humanities
This category covers research methods in the Humanities (in both traditional and digital forms). Disciplines represented include such fields as Organizational Communication, Public Relations, English, History, Modern Languages, Mass Communication, and Strategic Communication. 
 
Award in Education
This category covers research methods in Art or Music Education, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Middle School Education, Secondary Education, Curriculum design, Teaching, and Kinesiology.
 
Award in Social Sciences
This category covers research methods in the Social Sciences. Disciplines represented include such fields as Anthropology, Human Development and Family Science, Communicative Disorders, Criminal Justice, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Speech Pathology & Audiology. 
 
Award in Business
This category covers research methods in Business, Accounting, Economics, Finance, Hospitality Management, Insurance and Risk Management, Management, Management Information Systems, Marketing, Professional Land and Resource Management.
 
Award in Life Sciences
This category covers research methods in life science. Disciplines represented include such fields as Biology, Microbiology, Environmental Science, Botany or Agricultural Science.
 
Award in Physical Sciences
This category covers research methods in physical science or related projects. Disciplines represented include such fields as Geology, Physics, and Chemistry. This category may also be appropriate for Math or Engineering.
 
Award in Computer and Informational Sciences
This category covers research including disciplines of Computer Science and Informatics. This category may also be appropriate for Health Information Management, or Engineering.
 
Award in Math and Statistics
This category includes students preforming mathematical and statistical research, but it also includes work completed in any other field that applies unique or exceptional mathematical or statistical applications to the work.
 
Award in Health
This category covers research methods in health sciences. Disciplines represented include Nursing, Health Information Management, Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Health Services Administration, and Pre-Dental Hygiene.
 
Award in Engineering & Technology 
This category covers research methods in Engineering, Technology. Disciplines represented include Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Computer Science.
 
Award in Creative Work and Media Production
This category covers research which culminates in a Creative or Multimedia Work in areas such as Architecture & Design, Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Broadcasting, and Moving Image Arts.
 
Award in Performing Arts 
This category covers research which culminates original or extraordinary performances in Music, Theater, Dance, Performing Arts or Moving Image Arts. 
 
Award in Diversity and Social Justice
Applicants in any of the other categories have the option of also submitting their project for consideration in the Diversity and Social Justice category. These submissions could utilize humanities or scientific methodologies, involve creative work or literature reviews, but should relate in some way to the overall theme of Diversity and Social Justice.
 
Award for Exceptional Performance in Dissemination of SREs, written or oral communications as well as performances and presentations will be considered. 
 
Award for Community Impact
This award is given to students who are completing original work that benefits Louisiana, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette or the Local community surrounding UL Lafayette.
 
Award for International Impact
This award is for excellence in work that impacts countries outside the United States 
This award will also be given to work the increases collaboration between countries or people from varying counties. 
 
The Provost Award
This award is for work that is interdisciplinary or work that displays excellence across other award categories. 
This award also honors students who have completed exceptional research or creative/scholarly works despite challenging circumstances.