Help Support LSU Undergraduate Research Students!

LSU Discover welcomes your support of current LSU undergraduate researchers through donations.

Your generous contribution can go toward funding student travel stipends or student project grants. Please read more below to learn about the two funds and how to donate.

We thank you for your invaluable support of LSU's undergraduate research students!

Travel Stipends

Photo of student standing next to research poster at a conference presentation.

Fall 2023 Travel Stipend recipient and Psychology major Will Decker presenting his research at the 15th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language in Marseille, France!

– Photo courtesy of Will Decker.

LSU Discover Travel Stipends provide reimbursement to LSU Discover students for costs associated with presenting at a professional academic conference. Since LSU Discover began funding travel stipends in 2016, we have supported travel for over 150 undergraduate students, traveling both nationally and internationally!

Travel stipends are awarded to students that meet a set of criteria based on their participation in undergraduate research activities, standing with the University, and recommendation by their faculty mentor.

The amount of funding each student can receive for travel is based on the destination and current LSU travel regulations. The maximum reimbursement available to students ranges from $500 - $1,500.

If you would like to read more about the funding and view a list of past recipients, please visit our webpage for travel stipends.

Giving to the LSU Discover Travel Stipend Fund

Any contribution you are willing to make will increase LSU Discover's capacity to fund travel for undergraduate research students at LSU.

Donations can be made through the LSU Foundation's secure online portal.

Instructions for donating to the Travel Stipends fund:

Visit the LSU Foundation's online giving platform.
Under "Or search for a fund," type in "Travel Stipends" in the Fund Name box.
A dropdown will appear to indicate that 1 matching fund has been found.
Click on the dropdown to select "LSU Discover-Undergraduate Research Program Travel Stipends."
Enter your gift amount.
Proceed through Gift Information and Checkout to finalize your donation.

If you have any questions or run into any problems during the donation process, please reach out to the LSU Foundation directly by phone, 225-578-3811, or via email, contact@lsufoundation.org.

"I don't think I can put words to what I gained from presenting at OVSC! I want to be a Shakespeare scholar, so getting feedback from professional Shakespeareans was a) just a marvelous experience and b) provided me excellent commentary that I will be able to vastly advance my research with... I won the undergraduate essay prize, and I got to participate in a seminar, which gave me the opportunity to ask and answer in-depth questions related to my paper and those of fellow undergraduates."

Amy Ruckman, Fall 2023 Travel Stipend recipient and English major, reflecting on presenting at the 46th Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference in October

Project Grants

Photo of undergraduate research student doing work in their lab.

Biological Sciences major Dykia Williams received a Project Grant award during spring 2023 to work on her research project, "Characterizing Structure-Function Relationships on the Acceptor Side of Photosystem II," under the mentorship of Dr. David Vinyard.

– Photo courtesy of Dykia Williams

LSU Discover Project Grants provide funding for undergraduate students to complete faculty mentored research or creative projects. LSU Discover began funding Project Grants in 2017 and have supported 183 student projects from disciplines across all of the colleges!

Students complete a thorough application process that includes a proposal, personal statement, project budget, and faculty mentor recommendation. Applications are reviewed by a panel of faculty judges.

Project Grants are funded either for the academic year (fall and spring) or summer. Students that receive a Project Grant for the academic year are eligible for up to $3,000 worth of funding. Students that receive a Project Grant for the summer are eligible for up to $6,000 worth of funding.

If you would like to read more about the funding and view a list of past recipients, please visit our webpage for project grants.

Giving to the LSU Discover Project Grant Fund

Any contribution you are willing to make will increase LSU Discover's capacity to fund research or creative projects for undergraduate research students at LSU.

Donations can be made through the LSU Foundation's secure online portal.

Instructions for donating to the Project Grants fund:

Visit the LSU Foundation's online giving platform.
Under "Or search for a fund," type in "Research Project Fund" in the Fund Name box.
A dropdown will appear to indicate that 1 matching fund has been found.
Click on the dropdown to select "LSU Discover-Undergraduate Research Project Fund."
Enter your gift amount.
Proceed through Gift Information and Checkout to finalize your donation.