The PURE Program
- The program is intended for projects involving one faculty mentor and one student mentee.
- The student and mentor do not need to be affiliated with the same Palmetto College campus.
- Awardees receive a financial award for participation in the program (Mentor: $1,500; Mentee: $1,000).
- The application process varies by campus. Further details are outlined below.
The Office of the Vice President for Research supports and encourages discovery in every discipline
Program Details
PURE is designed to support faculty mentored undergraduate research activities for students and faculty on our Palmetto College campuses.
Timing on the distribution of funds vary by campus. Funds may be distributed in one stipend or divided and distributed at 2 or more points over the summer. See your campus-specific application or contact your Campus Program PI for details.
Please note: PURE is intended to encourage and support as many different faculty and students engaged in research as possible. Preference may be given to faculty/students who have not been funded with a PURE grant previously. However, this does not preclude those who have been funded previously from applying or being awarded funding.
Campus PI
Dr. Sher Chhetri
Email: schhetri@mailbox.sc.edu
Phone: 803.938.3856
Office: Schwartz Building, Room 136
Eligibility
- All Palmetto College campus students who are actively seeking an undergraduate degree are eligible for the PURE program.
- All majors
- Part-time and full-time status*
- Must be engaging in research with a faculty mentor from a Palmetto College 2-year campus
- Preference is given to students in their first or second year, however students pursing a degree with the status “Palmetto Campus” are eligible for consideration, if the student is working with a mentor from one of the four Palmetto College campuses.
- Preference may be given to students who have not been funded with a PURE grant previously. However, this does not preclude those who have been funded previously from applying or being awarded funding
*Students with the status of “non-degree seeking” are NOT eligible
FAQs
Students who have just received their associates degree from one of the four PC campuses and will be transferring to a 4-year USC campus (including Palmetto College 4-year degrees) are eligible to work with a Palmetto College mentor during the summer between the 2-year campus and 4-year USC campus. Students are not eligible if transferring outside of the USC system.
No, students can only receive PURE funding for one project per summer. Students can be funded for a second year on the same or a different project, although preference is given for students who have not been funded previously.
Preference is given for students who have not been funded previously. However, students can receive PURE funding a maximum of two times. This can be for the same or a different project and with the same mentor or different faculty mentors.
Expanded details are visible when the item is opened. You can use multiple paragraphs, inline links, bullets and other inline styling in this section.
PURE funding will not affect nor impact eligibility for any of the Magellan grants. Students who receive PURE awards are encouraged to pursue Magellan Scholar grants, Mini grants, and/or any Magellan awards for which they are eligible.
Preference is given to students who have not been funded with a Magellan Scholar currently
or previously for the same project or new, as the goal/aim of PURE is to support as
many students as possible to engage in research. However, this would not preclude
PURE funding. A student can be a Magellan Scholar (current or previous funding) and
receive PURE funds.
*Magellan Mini-grant recipients are fully eligible since the mini-grant is limited
to materials/supplies funds.
Eligibility
Please contact your campus PI regarding mentor eligibility
FAQs
Yes, however, preference is given to support as many different faculty mentors engaged
with our students in research as possible. PURE funding can be awarded to one mentor
working with two students, for the same project or two different projects. The maximum
amount of PURE funding per faculty is $3000 ($1500 per student mentored). Each student
receives $1000.
*Preference may also be given to faculty/students who have not been funded with a
PURE grant previously. However, this does not preclude those who have been funded
previously from applying or being awarded funding
Two mentees. Each student would receive $1000 and the faculty $1500/student mentored, for the maximum of $3000/faculty mentor. Preference is given to support as many different faculty mentors engaged with our students in research as possible.
Yes, if this award is used for summer salary, it is included in the summer salary cap for faculty members. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to know if they are eligible for additional summer pay before applying. Campuses may provide the option for mentors to use the mentor-award funds for materials/supplies, professional development, and/or conference/research travel
This varies by campus and each campus selects the mentor-mentee teams annually. Preference may be given to projects, faculty, and/or students that have not yet been funded by the program. Some campuses may limit a project to be funded only twice (same student or different students) or may permit a long-term, on-going project to be funded multiple summers with different students (the same student may be funded for a maximum of two years on the same project)
Yes, co-mentorship can be valuable in the student research experience. Faculty mentors would split the stipend, if mentoring one student. Each mentor receives $750 and student receives $1000; or if two students and two mentors: each student receives $1000 and each mentor receives $1500.
To apply, please complete the campus appropriate application by the campus-specific deadline. The application consists of identifying the mentor and student; and providing a short description of the proposed project.
Because campuses are encouraged to limit mentor-mentee pairings for the greatest impact across campus, the Lancaster Program is intended for research dyads, or projects involving one faculty mentor and one student mentee.
To apply, please complete the program’s provided Lancaster Campus application by announced deadline, consisting of identifying the research dyad and giving a short description of the proposed project.
Any undergraduate student that is actively seeking a degree (rather than holding “non-degree
seeking status) is eligible for the PURE program.
Because the Office of the Vice President for Research supports and encourages discovery
in every discipline, projects of any discipline will be considered for funding.
There is a campus cap of $12,500/summer. This allotted amount is intended to fund
up to 5 mentor-mentee dyads each summer, with the faculty mentor receiving $1,500
and the student mentee receiving $1,000 for their work on a research project together.
These funds will be ideally distributed at two points during the summer – once near
the beginning of the summer, and once near the end. This award is included in the
summary salary cap for faculty members – it is the faculty member’s responsibility
to know if they are eligible for additional summer pay before applying.
Both mentors and mentees within the program will only be approved for one project
in the summer.
While the program is intended for research dyads, if an approved project includes
two mentors, the mentors will split the $1,500 award, each receiving $750, and the
mentee will receive $1,000.
Unique Circumstances:
Should a project be of a larger scope, two students may be permitted to be funded
on a single project. However, given there is a cap to the funds available, and a prime
goal of the program is to diversify projects and maximize the impact, projects with
one mentee and one mentor will be prioritized. If, by the provided deadline, there
are not enough dyads to utilize the allotted funds for the summer, only then will
a project with two mentees be considered for funding. A maximum of two mentees may
be funded on any individual project.
While the program is intended for research dyads, if an approved project includes
two mentees, the mentor will receive $1,500 per mentee, and the mentees will each
receive $1,000.
Students may be permitted to be funded as mentees for a different project the following
summer; however, preference will be given to students who have not yet been funded
by this program. If, by the provided deadline, there are not enough previously unfunded
student applicants to utilize the allotted funds for the summer, only then will a
student be considered for funding additional. A maximum of two summers may be funded
for any individual student.
Projects may be permitted to be funded for a second summer; however, preference will
be given to projects that have not yet been funded by the program. If, by the provided
deadline, there are not enough new projects to utilize the allotted funds for the
summer, only then will a project’s second summer be considered for funding. A maximum
of two summers may be funded for any individual project.
Mentees who do not meet the program’s expectations (as described in the General Information
section) will not be eligible for additional funding.
Any project requesting funding under the Unique Circumstances described above are
required to submit their proposals by the same deadline as any other proposed projects.
However, should there be additional funds remaining after the deadline, the following
is the order in which those unique projects will be considered:
A second mentee is funded on a single project.
A mentee is funded for a second summer on a different project.
A project is funded for a second summer.
Additional mentees (beyond two) or funding a student or project beyond two summers
will not be permitted.
Please contact your campus PI for additional details
Please contact your campus PI for additional details
Please contact your campus PI for additional details
Award dates and hour requirements vary by campus and project needs. Typically, summer projects are expected to take place over 8-10 weeks of research. The mentor and mentee will establish the project-appropriate hours per week, total weeks, and start and end dates.
By the end of the summer, each project is expected to submit via email to the campus PI:
- 1-3 pictures of the mentor and mentee working together.
- A brief report (400-500 words) giving a description/overview of the project, and what was accomplished over the summer.
- A brief statement, from both the mentor and mentee (individually), sharing the impact or value of the experience.
- Following the completion of the funded summer, mentees are expected to present their projects at Discover USC. If a project is not yet completed, because Discover USC welcomes and encourages the presentation of “in process” projects, the mentee will still be expected to present the project at Discover USC the following spring. The Discover fSC presenter confirmation email should be forwarded to the campus PI following conference acceptance.
Please contact your campus PI for additional details
Please contact your campus PI for additional details
Please contact your campus PI for additional details
Awardees
Cynthia Curtis, 2022
Mentor: Professor Christopher Judge, Business, Behavioral Sciences, Criminal Justice, Education and Library Science
Project: The Sleeping Woman Speaks: Memory and Voice of the Women of the Guazapa Volcano, El Salvador
Andrew Ferebee, 2022
Mentor: Dr. Bettie Obi Johnson, Math, Science, Nursing, and Public Health
Project: Puzzles as Learning Tools for Chemistry
Abigail Klazinga, 2022
Mentor: Dr. Fernanda Marques Burke, Math, Science, Nursing, and Public Health
Project: A Study of the Relationship of Fatty Acid Structure and Soap Properties
Rio Ayu Shadow, 2022
Mentor: Dr. Angela Neal, Psychology
Project: Raising Global Awareness Among Students at USC Lancaster
Ashlyn Addison, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Suzanne Penuel, Humanities
Project: Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in South Carolina Firefighters
Alexis Tasker, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Shemsi Alhaddad, Math, Science, Nursing and Public Health
Project: Visualizing Data with Embroidery
Jacob Horn, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Bryan Lindmark, Engineering & Mathematics
Project: Alternative Representations of LDV Data: Using 3D Printing to Construct a Physical Model of a Target Response
Catherine (Katie) Hyman, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Miller, History
Project: An Evaluation of the Political and Historical Importance of Pon Pon Chapel of Ease Prior to the South Carolina 1868 Constitution
Sydney Jones, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Bryan Lai, Mathematics
Project: A Study of Tic-Tac-Toe Game Variations
Ally Rose Robertson, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Justin Mogilski, Psychology
Project: Comperson as a Form of Mate Retention
Zachery Wilson, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Eran Kilpatrick, Biology
Project: Herbarium Specimen Processing and Digitization in the USC Salkehatchie Herbarium
Hannah Brown & Zachary Evans, 2022
Mentor: Dr. Kathleen Klik, Psychology
Project: Examining Internalized Stigma among those With and Without a Psychiatric Diagnosis
Jianna Santiago, 2022
Mentor: Dr. Paige Wallace, English
Project: The Spectacle of Women in Contemporary Horror Films: A Feminist Analysis
Celine Anstey & Mam Ngaru Ngom, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Kajal Ghoshroy, Biology
Project: Lead Uptake in Germinating Mustard Seedlings
Kara Samuels, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Pearl Fernandes, Science, Mathematics and Engineering
Project: Survey of Access to Health Care among Patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
Madisen Brewington & Kaitlynn Horton, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Emily Schafer, Psychology
Project: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Mental Health in College Students on Two‐Year Campuses.
Caden Jackson, 2021
Mentors: Dr. Steven Lownes, World Languages & Dr. Maggie Aziz. Sociology
Project: Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: The Carolina Core Compared to other State Flagship Universities’ Multicultural Curricular Interventions and Programs.
Blaine Newton, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Lee Morris, Dept??
Project: Analyzing Hair and Fibers from a Commercial Tsantsa (Shrunken Head).
Student: Travis Wendel, 2021
Mentor: Dr. Lee Morris, Dept??
Project: Survey of Crayfish Species in Union County, SC: Emphasis on Documenting the Spread of Invasive Crayfish Species (Procambarus clarkii).
Testimonials
Mentors & Students: We want to hear from you! Send any pictures, words of wisdom, etc to OUR@mailbox.sc.edu