SURE 2009 Program
Summer Undergraduate Research
Experiences
Guidelines |
|
The College of Arts and Sciences and Departments in the
Natural Sciences are soliciting applications for fellowships for the
2009 Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) Program.
This program is open to all Indiana State University undergraduates who
wish to pursue research in the natural sciences during the summer of
2009. Because we are particularly interested in encouraging
students who are early in their undergraduate career to become pursue
research, it is anticipated that several of fellowships will be offered
to first- and second-year students.
ABOUT THE SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM
This 10-week program is scheduled to begin on May 20, 2009 and
finish on July 31, 2009. Alternate beginning and ending dates for
the research experience can be considered at the request of the
Research Fellow. Research Fellows will be awarded a $3,500
stipend for a full-time research experience or a $1,750 stipend for a
half-time research experience. Over the course of the summer,
Research Fellows will actively engage in research under the supervision
of faculty in the Department. In addition to hands-on research,
Fellows and their faculty advisors will participate in a weekly summer
seminar series. Finally, Research Fellows will have the
opportunity to present their work at a Research Symposium to be held at
the conclusion of the 10-week experience. Additionally, students
will be encouraged to continue their research and present their
activities at regional and/or national research symposia during the
2009-2010 academic year.
RESEARCH CO
MMITTMENT
Full-time
Summer Research Fellows are expected to commit ten
weeks of full-time effort (roughly 40 hours per week) to their
project. For summer 2009, the research experience will begin on
Wednesday, May 20 and conclude on Friday, July 31. Research
laboratories will likely be closed on Monday, May 25. Alternate
beginning and ending dates for the research experience can be
considered at the request of the Research Fellow. However, a
total of ten weeks effort (~400 hrs) is generally expected.
It
is expected that the Research Fellows consider this experience their
principal source of income for the summer. We are not
particularly interested in offering full-time fellowships to students
who have significant employment commitments outside their respective
Departments. Students may hold a part-time job, in addition to
their fellowship, but their work hours for that job should be largely
limited to weekends.
All fellows and faculty advisors will participate in a weekly seminar
series. These seminars, to be held every Friday at noon during
the ten-week period, will give the students and their mentors the
opportunity to present periodic updates of their research
efforts. We envision that the fellows will give brief, 5-minute
presentations once every three weeks. Lunch willl be
provided. We anticipate that a Research Symposium will be held at
the end of the summer research experience where students will prepare
and present their work in a poster format.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Research
fellowships will be awarded via a competitive selection process.
Students seeking a summer fellowship are strongly encouraged to speak
directly to potential research advisors regarding their participation
in research projects of interest. Each student will then complete
an application form listing their preference of up to three projects
that they are interested in pursuing. Application forms are due
to the Department of Chemistry Office on noon, Friday, February 6,
2009.
Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of interest, qualification,
and academic performance. The committee will begin awarding
fellowships in mid-February, requesting that awardees return signed
letters of acceptance. All applicants will be notified of the
final outcome of the selection process by no later than Friday, March
6, 2009.
A list of projects and their
descriptions available for the 2009 SURE
Program can be found here.
An application form for the
SURE 2009 Program can be found here.
