Grants and Writing Resources for Winston-Salem State University

In January 2026 WSSU reported that a senior chemistry major had first-authored a peer-reviewed article in the journal Chemistry after two years in the university's organic chemistry lab, working on the synthesis of sulfur heterocycles. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation sponsored the project. A second paper the student led was accepted in November 2025 by Diabetes, Obesity, and Cardiometabolic CARE.

Where Students Present

The Office of Undergraduate Research runs Scholarship Week every year. The 2026 edition was the 15th. It ran April 6 to 10 under the theme "Student Success through Research and Innovation," and its main event was the Annual Scholarship Day Poster Celebration in the DJR Gymnasium, where students showed research findings and creative projects. Student panels, pop-up exhibits, art displays and department showcases filled the rest of the week, and faculty met for a mini conference on building research into coursework.

Humanities majors have a second venue. In March 2026 WSSU hosted the Pre-Scholars Conference, a daylong meeting at which undergraduates from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and neighboring states present original research from coursework or independent study. Presenters submit abstracts and are invited to speak. The conference started in 1993 at Shaw University in Raleigh.

A Prize for Research Papers

Scholarship Week 2025 included the ceremony for the Excellence in Writing Award, which recognizes outstanding student research papers with cash prizes. The provost's Office of Student Research states a goal of making research a central part of the student experience at WSSU and opening it to all students.

Fellowships and Graduate Support

WSSU researchers also compete for national programs. The chemistry senior in the January 2026 story was an American Heart Association HBCU Scholar in 2024-25. The program paired the student with a Wake Forest mentor and paid for travel to AHA symposia in Chicago and Texas. Additional national travel awards covered trips to the Emerging Researchers National Conference and the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Scientists.

For graduate students, the Graduate College describes two kinds of appointment in academic departments. Graduate research assistants help design experiments, collect and analyze data and report results for a department's research. Graduate teaching assistants support teaching as instructors of record, lab leaders or graders. The college's resource list includes the Graduate Fellowship Application and the project submission form.

Help With Writing

The Writing and Communication Center sits on the first floor of the Student Success Center in Hill Hall. Consultants work with a paper at any stage, from brainstorming and evaluating sources to citing, formatting and revising. They also help with speeches and oral presentations, personal statements, resumes and cover letters, and the visuals that go with a paper or talk.

Book in person or virtual sessions through WCOnline. Walk-ins are welcome.

Before a WSSU research paper, thesis or capstone goes to a committee or a journal, our editors can check its grammar, consistency and format. See our Winston-Salem State University dissertation and thesis services and Winston-Salem State University essay editing pages, or write to editors@editorsforstudents.com.

From Our Writing Guides

• How to Write an Analytical Essay: Analysis vs. Interpretation
• Writing the Abstract and Title: First Impressions Matter
• The Results Chapter: Presenting Data with Forensic Clarity