The Honors Council of Hampden-Sydney College announces the
2009 Summer Research Program for Students
(Deadline for applications: March 6, 2009)

Program Description | Eligibility | Stipend | Application Procedure | Application Deadline

Program Description:

A stated aim of the College is to equip its students with special interests and capacities for graduate study and research. One of the best ways for students to prepare for this is to carry out a research project under the supervision of a faculty member. In order to encourage such projects, the College created the Student Summer Research Program.

This program allows a student to do significant research during the summer without sacrificing the opportunity to take regular course work. In addition to the intrinsic value of the experience, three incentives encourage students to devote a summer to research.

First, the faculty has agreed that academic credit be given for successful participation in summer honors projects conducted on the campus under the supervision of a faculty member. The hours of such credit are to be determined by the department concerned, but shall not exceed six semester hours for a full-time project of at least eight weeks duration.

Second, a student undertaking such a project will be provided with on-campus housing without charge for up to ten weeks. Students who choose to live off campus during the time of their research will have to pay for their own housing. All students must pay for their own food during the research period.

Third, each summer a number of stipends are made available to support students who undertake research projects. The amount of the stipend will vary depending on the length of the proposed project. This year the stipend will be $2,250 for projects ten weeks in duration (proportionally less for shorter projects). The faculty supervisor will receive $300 for supervising a project at least six weeks in duration. In addition, supply funds will be provided for certain projects.

Eligibility:

All Hampden-Sydney students are eligible to apply for these funds. Each student must be sponsored by a supervising faculty member.

All applicants for participation in summer research projects must be full-time students. Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors may apply, but if the number of acceptable proposals exceeds the allotted resources, preference may be given to proposals submitted by rising seniors.

Stipend:

Each student selected for the summer research program will receive a stipend payable in two installments: half at the beginning of the summer, and the second half upon successful completion of the project (that is, when the final report is approved by the supervisor and the Honors Council).

Application Procedure:

Applications must include the information described in the following sections. Incomplete applications will not be reviewedthey may be returned to the student/supervisor for completion.

Full applications include two parts: one written by the student and one by his supervisor.

1. Your part of the application (written in this format):

1. Cover Sheet
   
   [Title]
   A Summer Research Project
   Proposed by
   [Your name]
   
   

2. Research Proposal:

   The Honors Program and Writing Center will sponsor a workshop in the spring semester to help students craft proposals for their summer research projects. Please look for posters and email messages advertising this workshop, and please plan to attend. The Honors Council also encourages applicants to work closely with their faculty supervisors on their proposals.

   Members of the Honors Council will evaluate proposals according to the following criteria:

   1. The project is clearly defined in terms understandable to a reader not well-versed in the discipline.

   2. The scope of the project is sufficiently narrow to be completed in the time frame allowed.

   3. This proposal clearly delineates the activities in which the student will engage in to complete the research. (e.g. lab work, field work, library research, data collection, etc.)

   4. The significance of the proposed work is made clear, so that the reader can understand why the work is being proposed, and how it contributes to the field.

   5. The proposal includes a good preliminary bibliography, suggesting that the student has done enough advance research to situate his work in his field.

   6. This proposal indicates how the project will contribute to the studentfs own intellectual development.

   7. The proposal indicates, using adequate detail, the studentfs preparation for undertaking the project; it provides a convincing case that the student has the required background and will bring the work to completion.

3. Applicant's Qualification: You must describe, in detail, what preparation you have had for undertaking the project and why you will be able to bring the project to successful completion. Include here your current overall grade point average as well as your average in your major.
   
   
4. Proposed Duration: How many weeks of stipend are you applying for? How many weeks of on-campus housing do you need? Also, do you anticipate needing any supply money?
   
   
5. Miscellaneous: You should present here any additional information which will help the Honors Council to understand and evaluate your proposal.
   

2. The Faculty Supervisor's Endorsement:

You must submit your application to the faculty member who has agreed to supervise your project for his or her endorsement. In the endorsement, your supervisor should judge the value of your project with regard to the following factors:

• the feasibility of your project (i.e., can it be done at H-S, by you, in the time allotted?);
• the presumed scholarly significance of the results;
• your potential for development as a scholar;
• the quality of your preparation for undertaking the project, as well as information about outside funding being sought and/or having been obtained to underwrite the project.

In the endorsement, the supervisor should also:

• state his or her willingness to assume responsibility for supervising the proposed project;
• explain why the project is both viable and valuable;
• explain how long the project is intended to take;
• detail the nature and frequency of anticipated meetings with the student during the period of the project;
• indicate the way the project's results will be evaluated.

Final Reports and Presentations:

If you receive a summer research grant from the College, you must submit a written report to the Honors Council at the beginning of the fall semester following the award. Your report must be accompanied by a detailed evaluation by the supervising professor.

The due date for project reports and evaluations is Wednesday, August 26, 2009. This is the start of the fall semester (the day when classes begin).

It is expected that students will write their reports during the summer research period, not upon their return to campus for the start of the fall semester. The report should be submitted to the faculty supervisor on, or shortly after, the final day of the research period. This will give the project supervisor time to read and critique the report, so that a revised report, together with the supervisor's assessment, can be submitted on the first day of fall classes: Wed., August 26, 2009.

Along with a brief description of project activities and results, final reports should include a discussion of the meaning and significance of these results, as well as an assessment of the benefits the student has gained from undertaking and completing the project.

Note: Normally the results of the project itself will be a long essay or paper. The format of this essay or paper will be appropriate to the field of study. This must be submitted along with the students personal report on the projects benefits, etc.

Again, this paper will initially be given to the faculty supervisor, who will append a descriptive statement and an evaluation of the work done. The faculty supervisor will forward the complete report package to the Honors Council.

In addition, all recipients of Student Summer Research Grants must present their results in a public presentation to be held in a student symposium (on campus) in early September. Each student will discuss his work, using appropriate audiovisual aids, in a fifteen minute presentation, with time for questions from the audience.

Summer research students are also strongly encouraged to present the results of their work in an off-campus forum, such as the annual fall meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference of Undergraduate Research (MARCUS), held each October at Sweet Briar College.

Application Deadline:

The final deadline for submission of ALL application materials, including the project description and the faculty supervisor's letter of endorsement:

Friday, March 6, 2009

Please submit all application materials to Prof. Jennifer Vitale, Honors Program Director, at Box 165 or Bagby 223.