Mentors are sought for the 2026 Freshwater@UW summer research opportunities program. Submit by Oct 29, 2025.
Freshwater@UW recruits undergraduate students from within and beyond Wisconsin and matches them to research mentors at any of the Universities of Wisconsin. The program runs for nine weeks during the summer and culminates in a research symposium and poster session in early August. Mentors should expect to guide students in the execution of an independent research project that will help develop the skills, knowledge and abilities they need for future study.
Freshwater@UW will provide the following:
- $6,600 in participant support (administered by the program)
- Travel to and from the host site
- Housing and segregated fees
- General orientation and cohort support
- Weekly professional development seminars
- Capstone research symposium at UW-Madison
PIs must provide all project funding (e.g. field equipment, travel to field sites, laboratory analysis, mentor salary).
Student applications will be open Nov. 1–Feb 15. Mentors and students will be matched by mid-March. Students will be onsite for research June 1–Aug 1, 2026.
Funding is available for at least 20 students, thanks to Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Sea Grant, the Water Resources Institute. Given funding limitations, we may not be able to match every project submitted.
Please review and agree to the program commitments and expectations and submit a project by Oct. 29 if you want to participate. Check out last year’s project catalog if you’d like to know what our program has supported in the past.
Visit Freshwater@UW for more details and to submit a project.