The Undergraduate Research component of the current NSF EPSCoR award provides lab and field research experiences, through summer scholarship programs and annual fellowship opportunities, to full-time NSHE undergraduate students.

These programs fund eligible students either majoring in mathematics, science, or engineering, or majoring in education and specializing in teaching K-12 in the fields of mathematics, science, or technology. Research is conducted under the guidance of NSHE faculty mentors. The hands-on experience gained through these programs has proven to supplement classroom learning and serve as gateways to new and exciting opportunities for all participants.

NSF, the federal agency that first developed EPSCoR programs, sponsored the first EPSCoR program in Nevada. Since 1985, NSHE institutions have received more than $41 million in federal funds from NSF EPSCoR, together with non-federal matching funds.

These awards have supported program research in bioinformatics, chemistry, chemical physics, laser physics, insect and plant molecular biology, quaternary science, bridge engineering, plants and global climate change, and women in science and engineering. Many of the participants have gone on to write successful nationally competitive proposals with NSF and other agencies