CASNR Honors Forms and Deadlines
CASNR Honors Forms and Deadlines
Apply to the University Honors Program
Contracting a class for Honors credit - Students can work with professors to develop an individualized contract for greater depth in one of their non-Honors courses to then receive H credit upon successful completion of contract commitments. If you are a student, please watch this brief video explaining the benefit of contracting your class. If you are a professor and would like to learn more about students contracting your courses, please watch this video.
Research Opportunities & Funding
Students conduct independent, unique research in order to meet their undergraduate thesis requirement for the Honors Program. Many CASNR faculty aid our students with this process every year.
UCARE (research)
Patrice Berger Honors Experiences Fund (research or travel, August 15; for use in Fall semester, December 1; for use in Spring semester, April 1; for use in Summer)
NSF REU (research for undergraduates)
Education Abroad Opportunities & Funding
CASNR Ed Abroad office (opportunities, term-based deadlines)
CASNR grants (funding, rolling deadline)
Kleis International Travel Award (funding, rolling deadline)
Global Access Travel grant (passport funding, rolling deadlines)
The CASNR Honors Experience
Honors Courses in CASNR
A number of CASNR specific course are available for Honors students. In these courses students will earn the H credit for extra depth in a subject area. All Honors courses can be found here.
Examples of Honors Projects
- Insects All Around Us: A Four-Session Bug Club Lesson Plan For Grades 3-5 Covering the Biology and Importance of Insects in Nebraska, Carolyn Almonte
- The Effect of Sample Grinding on Color-based Predictions of Soil Organic Carbon, Mason Rutgers
- Comparison of Analytical Techniques from the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Kratom, Curry, Ginger, and Turmeric, Riley Bruno
- Induced Mutagenesis in West Nile Virus Non-Structural Protein 3 With a Discussion of the Mutation's Effects on Viral Properties, Caden Connealy
- Illustrating Insects: Using Art to Encourage Experiences in Entomology, Nia Kaufmann
- Mapping Mosquito Habitats with Girl Scouts: A Citizen Science Approach Using the “Mosquito Mission: Scout & Report!” Worksheet, Claire A. Klein
More projects can be found at the Digital Commons at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Student Experiences
"I got to start working at the UNL Veterinary Diagnostic Center this year! I work in Sample Receiving/Necropsy, and it is so cool to be learning about the veterinary profession through hands-on experience. My favorite part of my job is getting to see what I have learned in my physiology class put into practice during a necropsy. Working there has helped shape my plans for the future, as I now know that I want to work in some sort of laboratory or pathology specialty!"
- Sydney Meyer
Aurora, Nebraska
"This summer I was a wetlands intern at the Lower Platte South NRD and got to see beautiful local grasslands in spring and summer. Our interns were all women so this was a cool part of the experience as well. I learned how to use a chainsaw, spray for invasive species, drive a riding lawnmower and an ATV."
- Nora Lucas
Shawnee, Kansas
"Last summer, I had a manufacturing internship with CLAAS in Omaha. The facility in Omaha is the only combine production facility CLAAS has in North America. I worked on the assembly line over the summer, and I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the manufacturing process agricultural equipment goes through."
- Samuel Wilkins
Ainsworth, Nebraska
"As a CASNR Peer Career Coach, we help students develop and revise their resumes and cover letters, as well as conduct mock interviews, to prepare for the job application process. I initially applied for this position because I wanted to be able to help people out in any way that I can and even though this may not seem important to some people, your resume and interview can determine whether you get the position you want or not."
- Tori Huffman
Grosse Pointe Park, MI
Undergraduate Thesis & Creative Project
WHO AND WHAT: All students who are enrolled in the University Honors Program, regardless of their College home, are required to complete either a senior thesis or a creative project. This can take many forms including but not limited to: a traditional thesis, a publishable journal article based on original research, a multi-media project, a business plan for an original entrepreneurial effort.
HOW: Students in CASNR who are completing a thesis for their major do not need to complete more than one project. The thesis or research will serve to complete the requirements for both the college and the University Honors Program.
WHY: Our goal is not additional stress and strain on the student, but to help them through an academic process that exceeds the work of the majority of their peers. If they are already working in this manner, there is not a need to develop a separate research project. Students should work to their strengths and utilize research or projects they are hoping to complete by their senior year rather than attempting to design something completely different to begin. Academic and research advisors and supervisors should try to encourage students in this manner.
More guidance from the University Honors Program is available here.
COMPLETION: Once the thesis or project is complete and an evaluation has been made, students must submit their work to the Digital Commons at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.
Graduating with Distinction in CASNR
All students have the opportunity to graduate with Distinction in our college. Students who are completing a thesis have the capacity to then graduate with Highest Distinction. This page has further guidelines. The forms used for this are the same forms for the thesis/project prospectus and evaluation.