Students and staff can receive funding to work on projects, travel to other countries to study cultures or further their research through the Office of Research and Grant Development at Southeast Missouri State University.

"We're here to assist," said Diane Samuel, director of Research and Grant Development.

Students who are interested in a grant should first contact a staff or faculty member they know and are comfortable with, such as a professor, a graduate student or another staff member to act as a supervisor.

"The professor has to take the lead," Samuel said. "Students can't be project directors, so they have to work with their professors."

The staff member then contacts the Office of Research and Grant Development for the student. Students who have an outline of what they want to research can search for funds for the project.

That is where the Office of Research and Grant Development comes in. The staff members at the Office of Research and Grant Development connects students to funding for their projects.

"People who have done these [projects] can take the next step, take their project further," Samuel said. "They could get some outside funding and take it somewhere they never thought they could. There's funding out there for them."

The staff members at the Office of Research and Grant Development said, despite the fact there is a lot of research on campus, they see low numbers of students seeking grant money for their projects.

"There's a lack of awareness," said Tameika Morris, grants coordinator for the Office of Research and Grant Development. "We encourage students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them because they have opportunities that are available to them that some students at some universities don't have at their fingertips."

Students and faculty can contact the Office of Research and Grant Development at 573-651-2018. Their office is located at 902 College Hill, across from Grauel Building.