Alumni Association Challenge!

Support FURSCA, Support Our Students

The Alumni Association Board has chosen this year to raise funds to sponsor student research projects and the Albion College Fund. We invite you to join us in helping today’s FURSCA students pursue their research passions and prepare for their professional careers or graduate school programs.

For 26 years, the Foundation for Undergraduate and Scholarly Research Activity (FURSCA) has been empowering Albion College students to make a positive difference in the world.

FURSCA is a funding source available to students who want to participate in undergraduate research. We have funding available for up to 10 weeks for the summer research program, academic year grants, and conference attendance.

A note from the director:

As the Director of FURSCA, I’ve had the opportunity to witness firsthand how incredibly smart and creative our students are. With the support of FURSCA, students are able to make their ideas a reality and dive into their passions, in turn setting them up for a successful future. I would appreciate any support you can give to make sure this program continues to provide excellent experiential learning opportunities for Albion College students.

Elizabeth Palmer ‘10
Director of FURSCA
Marilyn Crandell Schleg Memorial Archivist and Special Collections Librarian

A note from the director:

As the Director of FURSCA, I’ve had the opportunity to witness first hand how incredibly smart, and creative our students are. With the support of FURSCA, students are able to make their ideas a reality and dive into their passions that will set them up for a successful future. I would appreciate any support you can give to make sure this program continues to provide excellent experiential learning experiences for Albion College students.

Elizabeth Palmer ‘10
Director of FURSCA
Marilyn Crandell Schleg Memorial Archivist and Special Collections Librarian

How you can help

FURSCA is a program that provides unique experiences to all of its participants. We need your help to keep this impactful program running:

For $500, you can support an academic year grant.
For $700, you can help send a student to a national or international conference to present their research.
For $6500, you can support a student for 10 weeks of summer research.

25.9208333333333%

Goal

$12,000

Total Raised

$3,110.50

Youngest Donor!

30 years old

GIVE NOW

Quotes from FURSCA Students:

Below are quotes from six of our FURSCA students about what undergraduate research means to them

FURSCA has given me the opportunity to explore topics within my major that I want to study in graduate school in a way I would not have been able to in the classroom. I got the chance to work one-on-one with a mentor that guided me through my project which helped me grow faster and more efficiently than I have been able to in a traditional classroom setting. Doing research has also laid the groundwork for completing my thesis. FURSCA allowed me to explore interests I wanted to learn more about and has set me up for success in my field of study post-graduation.

-Luke Rivard ’24

To me, undergraduate research is challenging, inspiring, and, ultimately, essential for any student looking to enhance their time at Albion College. It teaches you how to plan, write, present, and, perhaps most importantly, fail successfully. Research is complicated, and sometimes things break, fail, or don't turn out how you want them to. With undergraduate research, you have the space and the resources to learn how to recover and turn setbacks into opportunities. Another aspect that really made my time in FURSCA so amazing was the collaboration — learning about other students' projects and sometimes even getting to help out was so much fun and so inspiring. Undergraduate research will give you memories, skills, and experience that will stay with you forever, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of that.

-Bonnie Lord ’26

I think it is an unmatched experience that builds a variety of skills. The pairing of FURSCA with doing an Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium presentation along with a thesis is an unparalleled trio of endeavors that develops transferable skills that can be applied in the workforce, graduate school, and beyond.

-Jill Mason ’01

From the encouragement to engage in research that blurs the lines between disciplines to my first successful grant proposal (a FURSCA summer research grant), Albion — and the FURSCA summer program in particular — introduced me to my passion for research, specifically studying biological rhythms, and provided me with the foundational tools to succeed throughout graduate school and in my current position. Since then, my work has ranged from developing a novel model of oral cocaine administration for understanding the impact of paternal cocaine abuse on future generations in graduate school, to my recently NIH-funded work investigating the role of seasonal changes in light on female fertility in mice in my current position. All of this work is rooted in the fascinating field of biological rhythms that I first became a part of while at Albion College. “I loved everything about FURSCA, so much that I changed my career trajectory because of it. I remember thinking during my summer research that I wanted every day to be like ‘FURSCA summer.’ I loved waking up to read books and articles, conducting experiments, and being surrounded by other Albion students that were also engaging in their passions. The fall after my summer research experience, I found myself scribbling potential experiments into the margins of my class notes and reading research papers in my spare time. I kept coming back to the same thoughts: 1) biological rhythms are everywhere, and 2) how can we manipulate these rhythms to improve our lives? I realized that I wanted to spend my career understanding how biological rhythms can be used to improve health and decided to apply to graduate programs instead of medical schools.

-Alexandra Yaw ’14

FURSCA was a significant reason for my choosing to go to Albion. It should remain a heavily supported aspect of the College in order to attract students bound to head into high-level professional positions in STEM, the humanities, or business.

-Paul Beach ’08

After graduation I entered a clinical psychology Ph.D. program. I graduated in August 2023 and am now working as a forensic psychological evaluator, completing psychological evaluations for the courts and state psychiatric hospitals throughout Minnesota. Clinical psychology Ph.D. programs are notoriously competitive; FURSCA gave me a leg up in terms of research experience, which helped me to stand out as an applicant and start the rest of my career. I am so grateful to Albion, FURSCA, and my advisors for setting me up for future success in my field.

-Ciara Cannoy ’17

FURSCA had a major impact on my career path. I learned how to conduct a thorough literature review. I was empowered to make decisions regarding my research. I gained experience in scientific writing as I prepared my undergraduate thesis. I felt supported and encouraged by my mentor. It made me feel confident going into grad school. My FURSCA experience was truly pivotal in shaping my career path.

-Megan Lupek ’08

FURSCA affirmed my love for the written word and provided an outlet for me to explore how powerful writing can be. I got to see real examples from our own institution’s history how the published word can lead to action. FURSCA helped build skills in the areas I wanted and gain experience in the field I intended on going into.

-Samantha Semerau ’22

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