Information for Advisors and Administrators
Every student who applies for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program must have a faculty advisor to oversee his or her project. We expect that advisors of the students will have substantial contact with the student during the course of their summer research.
Faculty Advisors are expected to:
- Give feedback to the student as she or he drafts the proposal
- Write a letter of recommendation to the selection committee to accompany the student's grant proposal stating that:
- The proposed project is feasible and worthwhile
- The student is capable of pursuing the research
- You, as the advisor, are willing to work closely with the student during the summer, meet with the student regularly to give feedback and advice during the course of the research project
- Sign off on the Final Report upon completion of the project.
Summer Undergraduate Research proposals are read and rated by a selection committee of faculty representing all the schools on campus. Proposals will always be read by at least one faculty member within the student's school, and will also be read by faculty who are not trained in the student's academic field. For this reason, we advise students to write their proposals in a way that an educated reader outside their field of study can understand the research question and the significance of the proposed research.
Students and their advisors are notified of the selection committee's decisions by April 15, 2005.
Upon completion of the project, students must submit a Final Report to the Dean, Office of Undergraduate Education. The advisor must sign the report indicating that the research project was completed.
If a student is awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Project the funds are dispersed to students on a bi-weekly pay schedule, with applicable taxes taken out. The $3,000 stipend is intended to cover ten weeks of full-time research.
If you have any questions about these expectations or anything else about the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, please feel free to contact Kim Ellenwood, Office of Undergraduate Education, x2244, smithka@rpi.edu.