Grants and Writing Resources for Valdosta State University

A VSU senior in biology spent summer 2026 tracking the bacterial spot pathogen Xanthomonas in commercial tomato and pepper greenhouses and fields in South Georgia. Her project was one of six chosen for the 2026 Blazer Summer Research Institute, and she and her faculty mentor presented the research at the American Phytopathological Society's 2026 Plant Health conference in Rhode Island. She plans to continue the work with her mentor through the 2026-27 academic year.

Summer Research Grants

The Blazer Summer Research Institute pairs undergraduates with faculty mentors for a summer project, and the supervising faculty member submits the proposal, with sections completed by the student. For the 2026 cycle an Ignite Seed Grant of up to $2,000 set aside $1,000 for one undergraduate, an Ignite Team grant of up to $3,500 gave $1,500 to be split among two or more undergraduates, and the $6,500 Build and Blaze Grant added $1,000 for a graduate student. Housing is not covered, though students may put the stipend toward it.

Students must be undergraduates for the whole summer and return as registered students in the fall. Students who are graduating can't apply. Each student may join one BSRI proposal while at VSU.

Symposiums and Conference Travel

At the Terry Center for Experiential Learning's Undergraduate Research Symposium, presenters choose a poster, a talk of about 10 minutes or a video, and each submits an abstract of about 200 words. In the Three Minute Video Research Competition, the Undergraduate Research Council screens the entries, the top videos play live at the April symposium, and judges and the audience pick three winners.

Graduate students present at the Graduate Research Symposium, held every year since 2009, after a faculty mentor nominates them. The day has oral and poster sessions, poster awards and the GA of the Year Award. Off campus, nine VSU students presented at the 2026 National Conference on Undergraduate Research; each received a $600 experiential learning grant, and college deans paid the registration fees.

Where Student Work Appears

Omnino, housed in the English department, is VSU's peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal. It takes original research from every discipline and suggests papers written for upper-level courses. The name is Latin for "altogether." Volume 15 covers 2024-25.

Writing Help and Thesis Review

Writing Assistance at the Academic Support Center in Odum Library is free. Graduate writing consultants meet students one on one, in person or online, on ENGL 1101 and 1102 papers and on undergraduate and graduate assignments. The Graduate School's writing resources page asks graduate students to email the paper at least 24 hours before the appointment, eight pages at most. It also recommends ENG 8300, Revision and Editing for Professionals.

Theses and dissertations start from the Graduate School's templates, and dissertations follow APA 7th edition unless the committee approves another style. The defended draft goes to the Graduate School as a Word file. Its reviewers check format and compliance only, and content stays with the student and committee. A review takes about three to four weeks. Once approved, the student uploads to ProQuest, which deposits the work in Vtext, the Odum Library repository.

A defended thesis should reach the Graduate School's format reviewers clean, and our editors can give it a final edit for grammar, consistency and APA style, as we do for Omnino papers and symposium abstracts. See our Valdosta State University dissertation and thesis editing and Valdosta State University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• The Secret to Better Grades: Starting Your Writing Process Early
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• ProQuest Readiness: The Final Mechanical Audit