UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State undergraduate students from all campuses and majors can now apply for a Student Engagement Network (SEN) Grant to support a variety of engagement experiences during Maymester and summer 2024. Engagement experiences can take many forms and grants of $1,000 to $2,000 can help students cover many kinds of costs.
The deadline to apply for a SEN grant is 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 17. The application and additional information can be found here. Award decision notifications will be sent during the week of April 1, and all engagement experiences during this grant cycle should be completed by Aug. 15, 2024.
SEN Grants help take students to Antarctica
Four students used SEN Grants to help fund a fall 2023 excursion to Antarctica through an embedded course. The environmental resource management program and Ag Sciences Global in the College of Agricultural Sciences delivered the course in collaboration with Virginia Tech and AUIP. The class spent the fall semester attending weekly lectures from experts, researching and writing reports, and completing projects before embarking on a two-week trip.
Tammy Shannon, academic advising coordinator for the environmental resource management program, was one of two faculty leaders of the embedded course. Students explored sites such as Beagle Channel and traversed the Drake Passage. Shannon described the Antarctica experience as nothing short of life changing.
“The waves and wind were intense at times,” she said of the Drake Passage. “There were no comparisons from memory to draw on, it was like everything was a new sensory experience, so seeing land and the surreal Antarctica landscape for the first time was visceral for me. At first the views from the ship, and then from the zodiac boat, confirmed that Antarctica is unpredictable, intense and pristine. It is an experience that changes a person, and I’ll be processing it for the rest of my life.”
Shannon said the course was designed to promote an understanding of sustainability and ecotourism, sea birds, oceanography, sea ice and taking part in citizen science projects. A key part of the course was connecting students with experts from the University of Canterbury's Gateway Antarctica: Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research during the fall semester.
“The collaborative citizen science projects will make a broader impact and measure the environmental changes over time as future course students collect data.” Shannon said.
Ketja Lingenfelter, assistant director for Student Global Engagement in the College of Agricultural Sciences, said embedded courses give students an excellent opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and put it into practice. Classroom learning also helps students bond and prepare to travel together.
“This allows them to expand their knowledge of the course subject to a more global level, but also to grow in empathy and interpersonal skills as they experience a culture and landscape that is different from their own,” Lingenfelter said.
“The most engaging international itineraries include hands-on activities, interaction with local experts in the course subject matter, immersion with local students and communities, and the opportunity for both guided and self-reflection to grow and learn from the experience,” she added. “This allows for a deeper understanding of both the subject matter on a global level, and of the local culture.”
Engagement grants open to students at all campuses
Undergraduate students from all Penn State campuses are invited to apply to the SEN Grant program as an individual or a group. Students have the chance to receive $1,000 or $2,000 to cover a range of costs. Each student will be assigned an engagement coach to help them complete the required SEN Online Canvas course and excel in their engagement experience. The SEN Online Canvas course is a noncredit bearing, no-cost added course centered on the student engagement journey. A total of $80,000 in grants will be awarded for Maymester and summer 2024, with $60,000 for individual grants and $20,000 for group grants.
"I am proud to emphasize the significance of the SEN grant program within academia. By alleviating financial constraints, our program extends invaluable opportunities to students for enriching out-of-classroom experiences such as internships, research endeavors and educational journeys abroad," said Michael Zeman, Student Engagement Network director. "Throughout each grant cycle, our students demonstrate remarkable dedication and innovation, contributing to a diverse array of projects that greatly enhance their academic pursuits."
Below are examples of engagement experiences SEN will consider for funding. Students and faculty are encouraged to reach out to SEN staff with questions.
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Undergraduate research
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Internships
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Community-based learning
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Creative accomplishments
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Courses with an out-of-class component
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Organizational experiences
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Peer mentoring
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Self-directed student engagement
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Volunteerism
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Employment experiences
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Study away/study abroad experience
The Engagement App is another way to explore and discover engagement opportunities on all campuses. Visit the site or download from the App Store or Google Play.
The Student Engagement Network is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education and Penn State Student Affairs.