Summer Research Awards in Science and Mathematics

Purpose

The Summer Research Program in the Sciences and Mathematics is designed to encourage and support research projects conducted by University of Puget Sound students and their faculty mentors in the natural sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, computer science, or exercise science. The grant program seeks to foster imagination, creativity, and accomplishment.

Eligibility

Any student currently enrolled at Puget Sound and conducting or planning to conduct research in the field of exercise science, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, mathematics, or computer science is eligible to apply for a Summer Science Research Grant. The proposed project may be laboratory-based, field-based, theoretical, or any combination thereof. Students intending to conduct research off-campus are also eligible for Summer Science Research Awards. In most cases, the completion of at least two years of college coursework is necessary to achieve the level of sophistication needed for the development of a competitive proposal. Grants are awarded for work scheduled to be completed before graduation. Students who have previously received a Summer Research grant are eligible to re-apply.

Types of Awards and Stipulations

With the guidance of their faculty mentors, students may apply for either a General Award or a McCormick Scholar Award. (Students who apply for and do not receive a McCormick award are automatically considered for one of the general awards.)

There are several types of General Awards, including the Summer Science Scholar, William M. Canfield Research Scholar, Adam S. Goodman Research Scholar, Simpson Tacoma Kraft Research Scholar, John Gilbertson Research Scholar, and the Albert G. Cozza Research Scholar. Recipients of a General Award receive a $3,000 summer stipend.

McCormick Scholar Award recipients receive a $3,500 summer stipend and may also request funds to cover the cost of materials used in research or to defray other costs directly associated with the proposed project, such as travel or services. These direct project awards will normally not exceed $5,000. Awarded funds must be expended (and reimbursement for them be requested) before May 1, 2009. Unused funds will return to the pool to be awarded to another student for the following year. Students who receive direct project funds are not eligible for University Enrichment funding.

Student stipends are intended to pay for living expenses during the summer. Students receiving stipends are expected to treat their research as a full-time job for at least ten weeks during the summer of 2008. Accordingly, students may not register for summer classes and may not hold other employment, the only exception to this requirement being part-time employment, with the prior approval of the supervising professor and Associate Dean Sarah Moore. The summer stipend is not intended to supplement organized external research programs, such as NSF-REU programs or field camps.

Which type of award should I apply for?

Students may apply for a General Award, a McCormick Scholar Award, or both. McCormick proposals must, however, emphasize a particularly close collaboration with the UPS faculty mentor. There is no penalty for applying for both types of awards, and McCormick proposals that are not funded will automatically be considered for one of the General Awards.

Important Dates

Three copies of all materials should be submitted to Professor Andreas Madlung, Department of Biology, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. Awards will be announced on or before April 4, 2008 via letters sent to students' campus mail boxes.

Selection Process

1. Proposal Application
   Students submit three (3) complete copies of the proposal application, each of which includes the following:
   • Cover Page.
   • Applicant Statement describing the relevancy of the student's background for doing the proposed work, and how the research will contribute to the applicant's educational goals.
   • Summary (one paragraph) of the project in language appropriate for readers who are not specialists. This summary paragraph may be used in publicizing the awards.
   • Description of the proposed project providing sufficient background so that non-specialists can understand the nature of the question to be investigated and the approach to be used. The description must include a rationale, a research plan, and a list of pertinent references. The text of the proposal should not exceed 5 pages, including references. Supporting material, such as illustrations and appendices, may be attached. The strongest proposals exhibit evidence that the applicant has already done some preliminary work on the project, either in the form of extensive library research on the problem or in the form of experimental research.
   • Letter of support from the applicant's on-campus faculty research mentor. If the proposed research will be conducted off-campus at another institution, an additional letter of support will be required from an off-campus faculty research mentor.
   • Puget Sound transcript - An official or unofficial copy of the applicant's transcripts from UPS, as well as any additional (relevant) university work.
   Additional materials required for McCormick proposals:
   If requesting Direct Costs, applicants must submit a detailed budget covering supplies and expenses requested (please use attached Budget Form). It is the applicant's responsibility to make it clear to the reviewers why each item is necessary for the proposed project.
2. Proposal Evaluations
   A minimum of two reviewers (one from the same discipline as the proposed research and a second from outside the discipline) evaluate each proposal. Reviewers assess the quality of each proposal, the feasibility of the project, the academic background of the student researcher, and, as appropriate, the merits of the proposal in relation to the funding requested. (McCormick Scholar applications also undergo an initial review in which the reviewer comments on the scientific merit of the project and addresses the appropriateness of the budget.)
3. Proposal Rankings
   Following review, proposals are ranked by a committee of faculty members from the sciences and mathematics. In considering the comparative merits of proposals from several disciplines, the committee will also consider how the available pool of funds can best be used to advance the greatest number of meritorious projects that are in keeping with the program's intent. The total cost of each project will be an important factor in weighing the relative strengths of the proposals, with greater costs requiring more persuasive justification. The University will maintain flexibility in administering grants, in recognition of the fact that equally deserving projects may present quite different structures and costs. The committee will make recommendations to the Academic Vice President, who will review the recommendations, confirm appropriate funding, and make the final awards.

Award Administration

Grant recipients will receive their stipends in two payments: The first $2,500 payment (or $3,000 in the case of McCormick Scholars) is issued on or about May 15, and the final $500 payment is issued after the final report is submitted to the Associate Dean, following the Fall Student Research Poster Symposium presentation in early September. [Direct project costs will be administered through the Associate Deans' office according to procedures that the Associate Dean will send to McCormick Scholars.]

Recipient Responsibilities

Students who receive summer funding agree to:

• Treat their research as a full-time job for at least 10 weeks of the summer of 2008, including not enrolling in summer classes and not holding outside employment.
• Give a poster presentation at the Fall Student Research Poster Symposium held in early September 2008.

While not required, students are also encouraged to present the results of their work at a regional, national or international research conference (one possible venue is the Regional Conference on Undergraduate Research sponsored by the Murdock College Science Research Program in the Fall of 2008).

McCormick Faculty Mentors

Members of the faculty mentoring McCormick Scholars may apply independently for a McCormick Faculty Mentor award. These applications are submitted within one week following the announcement of the student awards. It was Dr. McCormick's purpose "to encourage and support cooperative research projects between Puget Sound faculty and students. . . ." The program is designed to support research in which a student and faculty mentor actively collaborate, as opposed to projects in which the student works independently and has a faculty advisor. The faculty stipend is proportionate to the work anticipated and will not exceed $4000.

The Faculty Mentor applications will include:

• A brief statement describing the mentor's role in the project and the expected commitment of time to the project.
• A statement of how the project fits into the faculty member's long-term research program.

Applications will be reviewed and ranked by the same committee that selected student award recipients. If there are more faculty applications than money available, the committee may consider whether the applicant received a McCormick Faculty Mentor award the previous year.

Rev July 2007