Furman Advantage Research Fellowship
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
THE FURMAN ADVANTAGE and FRANCIS M. HIPP
SUMMER 2016 RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
www.furman.edu/engaged
Rev. 10/15
PROGRAM DEFINITION: The Furman Advantage and Francis M. Hipp Fellowship Programs offer students the opportunity to work as collaborative Research Fellows with faculty on summer research or creative projects. The projects must have scholarly merit (as is appropriate for the particular discipline), usefully engage the Research Fellow as an integral part of the project, and be likely to produce presentations and/or publications. The fellow will generally receive a $3000 stipend. Projects must involve a minimum of 8 weeks of full-time participation.
The Fellowship Programs do not fund supplies or travel related to conducting the research. Faculty are reminded that they can apply to SCICU for funds for these other purposes and will be notified when the application is posted. Funds are also available from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Internships to help students attend meetings/conferences to make presentations based on the results of their research or creative activity.
ELIGIBILITY: Full-time faculty and lecturers in all academic departments are eligible to submit applications for students to collaborate with them on summer research or creative projects. Fellows will usually be rising seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or better in their major, but faculty are welcome to submit applications for any students that he/she thinks holds promise for the research/creative experience. Please note that the program does not support students who have graduated; in order to be eligible, students must be returning to Furman full-time in fall of 2016. Any questions concerning the type of projects funded or the eligibility of a student should be brought to Dr. Timothy Fehler (phone 3607), chair of the Furman Advantage Committee. Faculty who are making their first application for Furman Advantage funding are particularly encouraged to contact Timothy Fehler as soon as possible.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION: The Furman Advantage Committee will use the following criteria as the basis for awarding Research Fellowships. Other factors being equal, untenured tenure-track faculty members will be given preference.
- Quality of the research/creative project proposed. The Committee looks for projects that have scholarly merit and that are likely to produce a presentation or publication in the immediate future.
- Evidence that the proposed project is truly a collaborative effort, with both the student fellow and the faculty member significantly and meaningfully involved in the research/creative project. Please express as clearly as possible what the student will be doing and the nature of the mentoring relationship.
- Quality of the student’s essay.
- Evidence that the faculty applicant is likely to ensure that the project is completed successfully (including encouragement of the student to complete Furman Advantage requirements such as regular reflections and reports as well as presentation at next year’s Furman Engaged! day).
- Lack of availability of research fellows from other sources.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: The entire application package (application is available at www.furman.edu/engaged) is to be submitted by the faculty member. Please note that the package includes an application that is completed by the student, along with the student’s resume. Submit completed applications electronically to by Friday, January 29, 2016. Please name the file “Yourlastname research.docx”
GUIDELINES:
1. Faculty working with Research Fellows must commit themselves to work on the project during the period of the fellowship and to supervise the fellow adequately. Faculty may teach summer school or engage in other professional activities during the fellowship period provided that such activities do not interfere with the supervision of the Fellow or inhibit the progress of the project.
2. The fellowships entail a minimum of eight weeks of full-time work or its equivalent; actual work schedules are developed by each faculty supervisor and Research Fellow. If a student is enrolled in a May Experience course, then the eight weeks of full-time work devoted to this project will begin AFTER the end of May Experience. Students NOT enrolled in May Experience may begin their project during May. Fellows ordinarily do not hold other jobs or enroll in courses during the period of the Fellowship. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the faculty sponsor and communicated to the Office of Undergraduate Research and Internships.
3. One Research Fellow will generally assist one faculty member with a research project. However, deviations are permissible if approved by the committee. Faculty may apply for more than one Fellow, or two faculty members may share a Fellow if their research project warrants such arrangements.
4. Research Fellows may spend a part of the research period at another location off-campus if off-campus work is necessary or educationally desirable and if adequate supervision can be provided while the student is at the off-campus site. However, the Furman faculty member must still be the supervisor of the project.
5.All work involving the use of human subjects or animals must obtain approval from the appropriate review board. Faculty often desire to involve students in this review process. If so, please be aware that ALL Institutional Review Board proposals (exempt, expedited, or full review) are due to our IRB administrator Brianne Pochard () by the appropriate deadline: April 15th (for projects beginning in May) or May 20th (for projects beginning in June). *The final IRB submission deadline for research this summer is June 10. In order to facilitate IRB committee review, you MUST take these deadlines into account in planning summer research projects. Please contact Brianne with any questions.
6. Research Fellows are required to regularly contribute to an on-line discussion throughout the summer. They will also be required to submit a written reflection paper about their summer research experience, to complete an evaluation of their research experience by early fall 2016, and be available to speak about their summer experiences as requested and on Furman Engaged! Day in the Spring: on Tuesday April 4, 2017. Failure to complete these items may impact funding awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Research, including future student fellowships or conference travel.
7. Faculty members who mentor at least one Furman Advantage project during the summer will receive a payroll supplement of $750 through the Dean’s office. (Please note that even if you have more than one student researcher, the amount is still $750.) Additionally in summer 2016, faculty mentors will have the opportunity to request from Tim Fehler in the URI office up to $250 for expenses directly related to this summer’s Furman Advantage project. Information for making these requests will be provided at the end of the spring semester.
8.Faculty members will be sent evaluations to be completed and returned during early fall 2016. Failure to return evaluations in a timely manner may affect future Research Fellow awards. Faculty are also expected to ensure that their students complete the requirements (#6) above.
9. Faculty and students are also encouraged to consider applying for SCICU collaborative student/faculty research grants. Though students cannot receive stipends from both sources, SCICU does offer the opportunity to apply for supplemental budgetary support (supplies, travel, etc.). SCICU applications are due to the Furman URI office by February 19; they are posted on the URI website (furman.edu/engaged).
THE FURMAN ADVANTAGE and FRANCIS M. HIPP
SUMMER 2016 RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
FACULTY APPLICATION
Submit electronically, along with student application and resume,
to by January 29, 2016.
Please name the file “Yourlastname research”
Faculty Name:
Furman ID#:
Dept: Rank: Tenured?:
Title of Research or Creative Project:
Names of student(s):
(Note: Have students complete the Student Application and return it to you; then submit it, along with a copy of the student’s resume, with the application package.)
How many students (funded by any source) in addition to those requested above do you anticipate working with this summer?
What other sources will fund those additional students?
Complete this box ONLY if students have not yet been identified by the January 29th deadline, the Furman Advantage committee will be unable to make funding decisions at this time. However, submission of the completed faculty portion of the application by the January 29th deadline will allow you to continue to identify appropriate student(s) for your project with the possibility of being considered in the pool of waitlisted applications later in the semester. If you complete the faculty portion by 1/29, then Friday, February 19 is the final deadline for the student portion of such incomplete applications.
How many students do you anticipate requesting for this project:
List any special skills and/or background needed by the student fellow(s) to participate in your research project:
All projects involving the use of human subjects or animals must receive approval from the appropriate review board.
- Does this project already have approval from The Institutional Review Board or Animal Care Committee? Yes No
- Will this project be submitted to The Institutional Review Board or Animal Care Committee? Yes No
If the research project will be submitted to IRB, you must be certain that you can meet either the
April 15th or May 20th submission deadline (see Guideline #5 above). Approval letter from the IRB or Animal Care Committee should be submitted to Timothy Fehler in 209J Trone Student Center. Alternatively, the Chair of the Institutional Review Board or Animal Care Committee may send an e-mail to verifying approval.
Answer each question in the space immediately following it:
(1) Describe in detail the objectives of the summer research or creative project in which the Research Fellow(s) will participate. Be sure to explain the relationship of the project to your discipline and how it will contribute to the expansion of knowledge.
(2) Describe the logistics of the project:
- Describe the actual activities that the Fellow(s) will engage in to meet the objectives of the project
- If you are requesting more than one student for this project, please explain why.
- Describe when and how you will interact with the student throughout the duration of this project.
- If the student will be at a different location at any time while undertaking this project, explain why this is necessary or educationally desirable.
- If you will not be on campus or at the research location (i.e., you will not be with the student) during any part of the duration of the research project, please explain what arrangements will be made so that the student research fellow will be able to pursue the project in your absence.
(3) What conferences, symposiums, etc., are likely venues for the student research fellow to present this research? What publication(s) might this project produce?
(4) Attach a brief current curriculum vita (maximum - 3 pages). Please highlight publications, presentations, and posters with previous research students.
(5) Please share your answers (or an appropriate portion of your application) with your student(s) to better encourage student understanding of what will be involved with the project – both intellectually and logistically. This will enhance the quality of the student essay portion. Please ensure that the students have a good understanding of your expectations for the type of work they will be performing during the summer.
THE FURMAN ADVANTAGE and FRANCIS M. HIPP
SUMMER 2016 RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
STUDENT APPLICATION
Submit this form and your resume to the faculty member with whom you will be collaborating.
Name:
Furman ID#:
E-mail:
Phone number:
Local Address:
City, State, Zip:
Expected Graduation Date:Total hrs. completed by 1/1/16:
Major: Overall GPA: Major GPA:
List the courses (numbers and titles) completed in the major:
List other courses (numbers and titles) that would be relevant for the proposed project:
If you are also applying to another source for funding for this project, please designate the source and amount requested:
If you receive a summer fellowship, do you intend to live in university housing?
If not, where do you plan to live?
Title of Research or Creative Project:
Write an essay that addresses the following:
- Why do you want to participate in this project? What are your learning objectives for this experience?
- Describe the actual activities that you will engage in to meet the objectives of the project.
- How does the project relate to your interests, previous studies, and future education and/or career plans? (Give specific examples related to particular courses and experiences.)
- If you will be at a different location than your professor at any time while undertaking this project, explain why this is necessary or educationally desirable.
Please note that the quality and thoughtfulness of the essay plays an important role in the Committee’s deliberations in the awarding of this competitive fellowship.
Attach a copy of your resume to this application.