URECA Assistant

Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity (URECA)

• Guidelines
• Proposal
• Application
• Review Criteria
• Reporting Requirements

Program Description

These awards will be available to students who assist with faculty research, scholarship, or creative work. The intent of the award is that the student will learn some of the techniques, procedures, or methods common to the academic discipline by participation in an ongoing project. Participation in the project should contribute to the student's development as an artist or scholar. The amount of the stipend will be determined in consultation with the faculty mentor(s) based on the number of hours the assistant will contribute to the project. The stipend award amount will not exceed $800 (100 hrs @ $8 per hour). An additional award for expenses, up to $300, may be considered. It is expected that most supplies related to the project will be provided by the faculty mentor. Travel will only be funded if it is integral to the conduct of the project. At the end of one or more successful experiences as an assistant, the student will be encouraged to propose a project for which support as an URECA scholar would be appropriate.

Projects can remain open for a maximum of 3 semesters. Stipends not claimed past that time period will not be paid.

Guidelines

The application process requires that the student and mentor(s) agree on the terms of the work assignment, the level of involvement and the role the student will play in the defined project, and the expected outcome. The student, in consultation with the faculty member(s), will submit a completed application packet, described below. Please have all sections typed!

Proposal

In two typed (12 pt. font) double-spaced pages, excluding figures and tables, the URECA applicant will describe the purpose of the project and the role that the assistant will play in the project, and address the ways in which participation in the project will contribute to the student's development as an artist or scholar.

Be aware that the reviewers of the application will be drawn from a broad cross section of disciplines. Although parts of the Application form are to be completed by the faculty member(s), the student must write the statement of the proposed project. When two or more students will assist on the same project, each student should prepare separate applications and write his or her own statement of the proposed project.

Application

The application packet should include:

• application cover sheet (page 1 of Assistant Application form)
• faculty mentor endorsement (page 2 of application forms)
• project budget (page 3 of application forms)
• statement of the proposed project (2 pages maximum, excluding figures and tables)
• time schedule (1 page maximum)
• application checklist (page 5 of application forms)
• travel authorization if applicable

Incomplete applications will be returned unread. Use the application checklist to make sure that your application is complete.

The original application with all signatures must be delivered by the deadline to Emily Born, at Ingram 011B on the garden level

Review Criteria

Application packets must be complete to be considered. Incomplete packets will be returned for possible resubmission in the next request for applications. The applications will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of how well the instructions are adhered to and the degree to which the application meets the outlined criteria. These criteria include the following:

• Thoroughness of application and adherence to guidelines in the request for applications.
• Clarity of the statement of the proposed project.
• The strength of the faculty mentor endorsement.
• Potential for successful completion of the project.
  

Reporting Requirements

The award requires the student, upon completion of the work, to submit a reflective summary that describes the experience by telling what was accomplished, what was learned, and how the experience has shaped her/his perspective on research, scholarship, or creative work. In practice the report must describe the techniques, procedures, and methods learned through this experience. It is incumbent upon the faculty mentor(s) to have communicated these concepts and skills about scholarship to the student as a part of his/her mentoring of the student. This final report should be no longer than three to five typed (12 pt. font), double-spaced pages. The report should be submitted within one semester of the completion of the project or before commencement if the project is done in the semester of graduation. Final award checks will be disbursed when the report is submitted.