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Tracy Farmer Scholars Program

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The Tracy Farmer Scholars program supports undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at the University of Kentucky conducting research in environment and sustainability across the disciplines. Scholars are supported by funding from the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment, a cross-college research institute in the Office of the Vice President for Research.

The goal of the Tracy Farmer Scholars Program is to increase student participation in environmental and sustainability research at UK across colleges, programs, and disciplines. Applications can be submitted by students seeking to conduct research.

We encourage applicants to think broadly about the definitions of research, environment, and sustainability. For example:  

  • students in the creative arts might conduct place-based research to inform an installation piece, stage production, or novel 
  • students in engineering might conduct research on the built environment to inform our understanding of how to build long-lasting infrastructure 
  • students in the humanities might conduct archival research on how human understanding of nature has changed over time 
  • students in law might conduct research in collaboration with community groups about environmental issues that affect them 

These examples are only intended to be illustrative; many other research projects could qualify.

If you have any questions about whether your research could qualify for the Tracy Farmer Scholars program, please feel free to reach out to tfise@uky.edu before submitting your application.

Read our FAQ

Program Details

Amount

All Tracy Farmer Scholars receive a stipend worth up to $6000.  

  • Graduate students – eligible for $2,000-$6,000 and must submit a letter from their Department Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, or graduate advisor confirming that departmental and grant funding has been exhausted for summer support. 
  • Undergraduate students – eligible for $3,000-$6,000 for either the fall, spring, or both semesters of the following academic year. 

Eligibility

All current undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in good academic standing at the University of Kentucky conducting environmental and sustainability-related research are eligible to apply.
 

Research Mentor

Students must have a UK faculty or staff research mentor supervising them during the timeframe of the Tracy Farmer Scholars Program. Student applicants are responsible for securing a research mentor.
 

Program Period

  • Graduate and professional students – eligible for summer stipends.
  • Undergraduate students – eligible for stipends during the academic year (fall, spring, or both semesters). 

Timeline

Call for applications released: Friday, March 6, 2026 

Application deadline: Friday, March 27, 2026

Notification of decisions: Friday, April 17, 2026

Graduate/Professional student funding paid out: bi-weekly May-August

Undergraduate student funding paid out: bi-weekly August-May 

Program Requirements

  • Complete a pre- and post-program survey 
  • Participate in a full-cohort meeting at the beginning and end of the program period 
  • Submit a Final Report at the end of the program period 
  • Present research in a professional forum, e.g., a field conference, the UK Fall Sustainability Showcase, or the UK Spring Undergraduate Research Showcase 
  • Complete between 300 - 350 hours of mentored research within each semester (summer/spring/fall) of funding 

Application Requirements

Basic Information

The application form will ask for basic information about you and your educational background.

Research Statement

All applicants must submit a research statement written for an audience outside their field that includes: 

  1. Title page 
  1. Description of the project 
  1. Budget 

Specific instructions for undergraduate research statements: 

  1. 750-1000 words, not inclusive of title page and any citations 
  1. Title page with: 
    1. Descriptive title 
    2. Student researcher name 
    3. Student department, school, college 
    4. Research mentor name 
    5. Mentor department, school, college 
  1. Research overview with:
    1. The general interest area that you and your mentor(s) have identified as the focus of your research experience. 
    2. What specific activities are planned for your research experience
    3. What activities/experiences you bring that might be relevant to the research you are planning to do 
    4. What your goals are for involvement in research (e.g., written products, involvement in lab meetings, artistic output, writing sample for graduate school, etc.) 
    5. Explanation of how the research area relates to environment and sustainability 

 Specific instructions for graduate and professional student research statements: 

  1. 1000-1500 words, not inclusive of title page and any citations 
  1. Title page with:
    1. Proposed research project title 
    2. Student researcher name 
    3. Student department, school, college 
    4. Research mentor name
    5. Mentor department, school, college 
  1. Research description with:
    1. Background 
    2. Research goal(s)/hypothesis(es)/question(s)

    3. Explanation of how the research area relates to environment and sustainability 

    4. Methods/research activities 

    5. Anticipated outputs (e.g., written products, conference presentations, etc.) 

Letter of Support from Your Research Mentor

Tracy Farmer Scholars must have a UK faculty or staff member as a research mentor who commits to supervising the scholars’ work for the duration of the program.  

Scholars’ research mentors are automatically offered affiliate status with the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and Environment. Affiliate status provides benefits, including access to research funding, support for programming and research spotlights, and an expansive professional community of environment and sustainability researchers at UK.

Please ask your research mentor to submit a letter of support via email to tfise@uky.edu. Letters of support need not be longer than a paragraph and should confirm the mentor’s availability and intention to provide supervision and guidance throughout the program period. The letter should be on UK letterhead and is due on the same date as the rest of the application materials.

For Graduate and Professional Students ONLY: Funding Letter from Department Chair, DGS, or Graduate Advisor

Whenever possible, graduate and professional students are expected to use Tracy Farmer Scholars funds to supplement departmental and grant-based sources of funding. 

Please ask your Department Chair, Director of Graduate Studies, or Graduate Advisor to submit a letter via email to @tfise@uky.edu either 1) stating how much summer funding you are receiving from your department, grants, or other sources of funding, or 2) confirming that there is EITHER no available summer funding from your department, grants, or other sources of funding OR available funding cannot be used for the research project being proposed. The letter should be on UK letterhead and is due on the same date as the rest of the application materials.

FAQ

My research focuses on areas outside of Kentucky. Am I eligible to apply for the Tracy Farmer Scholars program?

Yes. Your research must be related to environment and sustainability, but does not have to focus on Kentucky. 

Graduate/Professional Students


Do I have to be enrolled in coursework during the summer to receive the Tracy Farmer Scholar funding?

No, you do not have to be enrolled in coursework during the summer that you receive Tracy Farmer Scholar funding. You must be a UK student in good standing. 

My funding situation is complicated, and I am not sure if I am eligible to apply for the Tracy Farmer Scholars program. What should I do?

Please email tfise@uky.edu with questions about your specific funding situation prior to submitting your application. We will review and respond to your questions as quickly as possible. 

Does the Tracy Farmer Scholars program provide tuition or other financial support?

The Tracy Farmer Scholars program pays stipends directly to the Scholars, which recipients can use however they like. It does not pay for tuition or any other expenses directly.

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