Request for Applications (RFA)

2015 REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
DEADLINE: June 15, 2015 at 11:59 PM MST
In collaboration with the Vice President of Student Affairs, COURI is soliciting proposal applications from undergraduate
students who are interested in engaging in research, scholarly, or creative projects during the 2015-2016 academic year
under the mentorship and direction of faculty in any department across campus.
ELIGIBILITY
To apply, students must:
Be an undergraduate student in good standing and enrolled full time Spring 2015 (12 SCH).
Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. If selected, students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher throughout the program.
Identified a faculty mentor and agreed on the project.
If selected, must not have another active, concurrent UTEP appointment/on-campus job.
If selected, undergraduates must enroll in RSRC 4033 each semester receiving support.
APPLICATION
To apply, students must submit an online application which includes information provided by both the faculty and the
student as follows:
DEADLINE
A complete application must be received online via the link provided no later than 11:59 pm MST, Monday, June 15,
2015. No paper applications will be accepted. The required format and guidelines for the statement and project
description are detailed on subsequent pages. Submissions that do not strictly adhere to the required format and
guidelines (see page 3), are incomplete, or are late will not be considered.
From the student:
The student’s personal and academic information.
A 500-word student personal statement (see
guidelines below).
A PDF copy of the student’s most recent unofficial
transcript(s).
From the faculty:
The name, contact information and departmental
affiliation of the faculty research mentor.
A PDF copy of a 2-page (max.) project description
(see guidelines & template below).
Certification of IRB/IACUC approval (if necessary)
A one paragraph mentoring plan.
AWARD AMOUNT, EXPECTATIONS FROM STUDENTS, AND REWARDS
Undergraduate students selected will receive a salary of $9.66/hour for a maximum of 15 hours/week for a total of 32
weeks, starting September 13. It is expected that undergraduate awardees will spend a minimum of 15 hours per week
participating in research related activities. To maintain the appointment, undergraduate awardees will be required to:
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Submit professional reports (guidelines and due date to be provided)
Attend at least 7 COURI workshops (dates and time to be announced)
Maintain full-time status for Fall/Spring.
Submit an abstract and present research/scholarly/creative work results at the COURI Symposium, scheduled for
April 2016.
Complete a post-program survey online.
Undergraduate students who fulfill the above commitment will receive a Certificate of Research Accomplishment, and
will be eligible to re-apply for future research support awards managed by COURI.
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EXPECTATIONS OF FACULTY RESEARCH MENTORS
It is vital that the student receives support and mentorship from the faculty research mentor. To ensure engagement,
each faculty mentor will be expected to:
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Provide the space, materials, supplies and equipment needed (if applicable) to conduct the project.
Discuss the need for IRB/IACUC approval for the project and assist in acquiring if necessary.
Provide the cost associated with the undergraduate student’s presentation at the annual UTEP-COURI
Symposium (printing the student’s poster, art display, video, performance, or any other mode appropriate to
the discipline).
Submit a brief online evaluation of the student at the end of the program. Fulfillment of this requirement will
allow the student to apply to the program in the future.
PROPOSAL EVALUATION
A multi-disciplinary panel composed of UTEP faculty will evaluate applications based on the quality of the proposed
research, potential benefit of mentoring and engagement to the student, student personal statement, and potential to
significantly advance faculty research efforts.
NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE
Every effort will be made to notify all applicants and corresponding faculty mentors the week of July 15. Tentative start
date for awardees is Monday, September 14.
Successful applicants and their faculty mentors must acknowledge acceptance of the award in writing by signing a letter
of agreement.
GUIDELINES
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Proposed Project Description and Mentoring Plan must be provided by the faculty for the
student to upload in the application. The personal statement should be the work of the student. Proposals, mentoring
plans and personal statements are expected to be logical, well-organized, and clearly written, with no typographical or
grammatical errors.
STUDENT PERSONAL STATEMENT
Prepare a 500 word (max) statement using the same formatting described below for the project description and upload it
as a pdf file where indicated onto the online application form. The statement narrative should address the following:
a.
b.
c.
Motivation for your desire to participate in the proposed research project.
Prior academic courses and/or professional experience that prepared you for the proposed project. If you have
participated in previous research, please indicate when, for how long, at what institution, the name of the
project director/mentor, and the title of the project.
Future academic and career plans and expected impact of the proposed research experience on those plans.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION (2-PAGE MAX.)
Formatting
Use two pages (maximum) for the project description. Do not add an extra title page. If figures are used, they
must be included within the two page limitation.
• Margins: 1 inch on all sides
• Font: Arial 11 for the entire project description (including references and figure captions)
• Spacing: single spaced
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Content
Upload a PDF version of the project description onto the online application. Given the multidisciplinary nature of
the evaluation committee, proposals should be written in a language understandable by individuals in other
areas of expertise, while maintaining the rigor of the project’s discipline. Acronyms should be clearly defined.
Persuasive arguments should be used regarding the project’s significance. For the proposed project to receive
full consideration, the following sections must be included in the two-page document:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Project Title
Name of student and professor directing the work
Departmental affiliation of the professor and the student (if different from the professor)
Background & significance of the proposed project. Include here the theories (if applicable) in which the
project is grounded.
Project objectives and/or research question(s)
Hypothesis (if applicable)
Methods and/or processes to be learned by the student (to be used to answer the research question and
achieve objectives)
References
MENTORING PLAN
Upload onto the online application a PDF version of a one paragraph (250 words max) mentoring plan provided
by the faculty mentor. Faculty should address plans to help the student develop discipline specific research skills
as well as all the following: professional, interpersonal, leadership/management, responsible conduct of
research, graduate school and/or job search skills. In addition, faculty should discuss who will supervise the
student on a day-to-day basis, the frequency of one-on-one meetings between mentor and mentee, the
frequency of meetings involving other research team members (if any), and the content of those meetings.
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