Grants and Writing Resources for Ashland University

A senior biochemistry major became Ashland's first-ever Goldwater Scholar for 2025-26, and spent the year presenting her work on drug delivery systems for anti-cancer drugs at the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium at Rice University and at the American Chemical Society's national conference in Atlanta. Back on campus in April 2026, the library gave its first Archer Library Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award to an undergraduate project on a campus-based, zero-price digital exchange platform.

Presenting Research

The 2026 URCA Symposium drew more than 100 student presenters to the John C. Myers Convocation Center. It was the first year students from the Dauch College of Business and Economics, the Dwight Schar College of Education and the Dwight Schar College of Nursing and Health Sciences could present; earlier symposia were open only to the College of Arts and Sciences. Six finalists joined the winner of the library's new research award, with projects on the Holodomor famine in Ukraine, bacteriophage host range, a driver monitoring system, metal-organic frameworks for drug delivery, nicotine and toxic metals in tobacco pouches, and John Howard Yoder's views on the church and social action.

The 2025 URCA call for abstracts asked for an abstract of 250 words or fewer, approved by a faculty sponsor. Presenters could choose a 12-minute talk or performance, a poster or an art exhibition. Psychology majors have a second route: the Psychological Research Scholar program places them in the Psychological Science Accelerator, a network of about 4,000 researchers in 70 countries, and supports presenting at conferences such as the Midwestern Psychological Association.

Student Journals

Undergraduates edit Passages: Revised, Ashland's student-run literary journal for creative writing and visual art. The Black Fork Review is run by students, faculty and alumni with support from the English and Foreign Languages Department, the Ashland Poetry Press and the Ashland MFA program. Reporters write for The Collegian, the student-run campus paper.

Writing Help on Campus

The Writing and Communication Center on the first floor of Archer Library works with every Ashland student, on campus or online, undergraduate or graduate. Coaches help with papers, speeches, posters and group presentations at any stage from brainstorming to editing. Graduate students book through a separate graduate schedule, where sessions are asynchronous unless a live appointment is requested.

Where Dissertations Are Published

Doctor of Education dissertations from the College of Education are published in OhioLINK's Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. Archer Library's Ed.D. research guide lists past dissertations by year, with abstracts, and links to the submission policy.

If you'd like an editor's eye on a thesis chapter or a research paper before it goes out, we can help. See our Ashland University dissertation and thesis editing and Ashland University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• The Lecture as a High-Stakes Professional Presentation
• Methodology Chapter Secrets: Building the Architecture of Your Argument