Undergraduate Research Mentor Award

The purpose of the Board on Health and Human Sciences Undergraduate Research Mentor Award is to recognize a faculty member in the Human Sciences for exceptional performance as a research mentor for undergraduate students. This award was developed to advance the purposes of the Undergraduate Research Community in the Human Sciences (www.kon.org/urc/undergrad_research.html). The Undergraduate Research Community focuses on the scholarship of learning and teaching in preparing students for graduate education, the workplace and responsible citizenship. It enhances the experimental content of undergraduate education in the Human Sciences. The BHHS Undergraduate Research Mentor Award is intended to advance undergraduate student development and a national undergraduate research agenda for the Human Sciences. Award recipients will be recognized for their contribution in developing the next generation of scholars.

Eligibility and Nominations

Eligibility for the Undergraduate Research Mentor Award shall be limited to Human Sciences faculty members who have been employed in a BHHS member institution for at least three (3) years. College or universities’ with active BHHS membership are eligible to nominate one person for this outreach award. Former recipients of the Undergraduate Research Mentor Award are ineligible for this award. The award will be presented at a special breakfast hosted by the Board on Health and Human Sciences at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ annual meeting. The award winner must be available to attend the meeting and speak to the organization. BHHS will provide travel expenses and appropriate recognition.

Procedure

Each college and university shall implement its own procedure for identifying qualified applicants. Following a review of potential candidates, each BHHS member institution will nominate only ONE candidate for the BHHS Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. Applications for 2023 BHHS awards are due September 1, 2023. The Nomination Dossier for this award shall be submitted electronically to bhhs@aplu.org as a single PDF document that includes:

1. a nomination letter (2 pages or less) detailing the candidate’s work that advances the research competencies of undergraduate Human Sciences students;
2. the nominee’s curriculum vita; and,
3. up to three examples of undergraduate student work completed under the direction of the nominee.

Undergraduate Research Mentor Award Recipients 

2022
Anthony J. Ferraro​

Kansas State University

Associate Professor
College of Health and
Human Sciences​

2021
Elizabeth McNeill

Iowa State University

Assistant Professor
Department of Food Science
and Human Nutrition

2020
Antoinette Landor

University of Missouri

Associate Professor and
Associate Director
Center for Body Image
Research and Policy

2019
Elizabeth 
Stegemöller

Iowa State University

Assistant Professor
Kinesiology

2018
Richard D. Lewis

University of Georgia

UGA Foundation Professor
Family and Consumer
Sciences, Department of
Foods and Nutrition,
College of Family
and Consumer Sciences 

2017
Lauren Papp

University of
Wisconsin-Madison

Professor
Department of Human 
Development and Family
Studies, School of Human
Ecology

2016
Kami Gallus

​Oklahoma State University

Associate Professor
Department of Human
Development and Family
Sciences, College of
Human Sciences

2015
Brenda Smith

Oklahoma State University

John and Sue Taylor
Professor
Nutritional Sciences,
College of Human Sciences

2014
Matthew Rowling

​Iowa State University

Assistant Professor
Food Science and Human
Nutrition, College of Human
Sciences

2013
Paulette Hebert

​Oklahoma State University

Professor
Department of Design,
Housing and Merchandising, 
College of Human Sciences

2012
Kevin Schalinske

Iowa State University

Professor
Department of Food Science
and Human Nutrition

2011
Matthew Hickey

Colorado State University

Professor
Department of Health and
Exercise Science

2010
Briana Nelson Goff

Kansas State University

Professor
College of Human Ecology