The Office for Undergraduate Research and Artistry is excited to facilitate the OURA Ambassadors Program which aims to support and advance undergraduate research at CSU through peer mentorship and leadership.

Who are OURA Ambassadors?

The ambassadors are undergraduate students currently involved in research or scholarly work at CSU and who have been doing research/scholarly work for at least 2 semesters (Fall/Spring/Summer). These students are passionate about their projects and excited to share their experience with current undergraduate and prospective CSU students with broad backgrounds and levels of experience.

General ambassador roles- all ambassadors will… 

• contribute to the “Ask an Ambassador” platform by guiding and mentoring students with similar research interests/ career goals 
• serve as judges at the annual Graduate Student Showcase, gaining valuable professional development skills 
• promote involvement in the annual Celebrate Undergraduate Research and Creativity (CURC) showcase and are strongly encouraged to participate as presenters
• participation in campus-wide tabling events (typically at the beginning of Fall/Spring semesters)

Specific roles- each ambassador will be assigned to one of the following specific roles based on their interests and skillset: 

• Communications: promote undergraduate research and “Ask an Ambassador” program on OURA social media and in person; capture undergraduate research activity (photos, short quotes, etc.)
• Ask an Ambassador Monitor: oversee submissions and pair ambassadors 
• Event Planning: design and execute an event with the goal of advancing/promoting undergraduate research 

Why become an OURA Ambassador? 

As an OURA Ambassador you will gain behind-the-scenes experience of undergraduate research and professional development through peer leadership and mentorship. You will be able to guide others in exploring their passions through opportunities they may not have pursued otherwise. Ambassadors will be compensated for their service with funds of up to $250/semester of active ambassadorship (the student must have participated in their general and specific roles) that can be used to support their own research/academic performance. All ambassadors will receive an OURA Ambassador T-shirt. 

How are OURA Ambassadors selected? 

Students who meet the criteria above will complete an application and ask their research/scholarly work advisor to submit a brief letter of support through the same form. Students will be asked to upload a current CV/resume, describe their research project, and in 2-3 paragraphs explain why they would make a good OURA Ambassador. After we have received the completed form and a letter of support from the student’s advisor, the student will be contacted regarding our decision to move forward with a brief interview. We aim to recruit at least 1 ambassador from each college.

The recruitment process will begin again in late Spring 2023 for the academic year 2023-2024 Ambassador team. You may follow this link to be added to the mailing list to be notified once recruitment has opened.