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Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Program

Undergraduate Research Awards (URAs) are granted to promote undergraduate research in a scientific laboratory setting. Interested students should explore the lab sites on the faculty directory or download the following Undergraduate Research Booklet to learn more about current lab research areas. Please reach out to the relevant faculty members to inquire about availability.



New URAs

The Fall 2026 New URA Application form is OPEN.

The Fall application opens on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. and closes on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis.

To apply, you will need to do the following:

  • Discuss your interest in the URA with your faculty mentor before applying.
  • Complete the URA Proposal and Mentoring Plan Template. Upload it to the application form at the link above.
  • Attend the training session the first week of class.

Continuing URAs

To continue your URA, you will need to do the following:

  • Take the ELMS survey* (from byu-csm@csm.symplicity.com)
    • each year in March/April
    • upon termination of your URA
  • Submit your update survey and end-of-semester report via Learning Suite for CHEM 297R, 497R, or 498R.**

*ELMS Survey

URA students must complete the ELMS survey once each year (March/April) and after their final semester/term. This survey will come from byu-csm@csm.symplicity.com.

**Concurrent Enrollment (optional Fall 2026)

Please visit C100 to get an add code from Eileen Hargraves, Valerie Maker, or Erin McPhee if you are interested in enrolling in one of the following optional courses. Note: If you choose to not enroll in one of the following optional courses, you will be added as a guest (no credit) in Learning Suite.

*Full-semester section: 001. Second-block-only section: 002

  • CHEM 297R is intended for students who are new to a research lab. This course is 0.5 credit hours and graded on a pass/fail basis.
  • CHEM 497R is for students continuing their work in a research lab. This course is 1 credit hour and graded on a pass/fail basis.
  • CHEM 498R is a research capstone course that requires an extensive research paper. The course is meant to be taken in the final year of your URA as a capstone-like experience. This course is a variable-credit course (up to 6) with a letter grade, but only 3 credits can count as Chemistry and Biochemistry major credit for graduation.



Contact Information

Eileen Hargraves
Program Coordinator
Phone (801) 422-5823
Email: coffice@chem.byu.edu