Call for Proposals 2015
For a PDF of this announcement, click here.
General Description:
Program Objectives:
- Engage undergraduate research fellows in multiple aspects of research and communication
- Train graduate students for roles as mentors and advisors in their future research careers
- Prepare undergraduate interns to develop and present inquiry-based science education lessons
Program Description:
The PINEMAP Undergraduate Fellowship Program is part of the PINEMAP Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAP) grant funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The goal of this program is to pair selected undergraduate research fellows with graduate, post-doc, or staff mentors based on the following research interests and program aims: ecophysiology, silviculture, modeling, genetics, economics, education, and extension. Undergraduates will assist CAP-funded graduate students or staff with their laboratory and/or field research during summer 2015. Mentors are expected to provide (1) guidance and support during the summer research, (2) opportunities for personal/professional skill development, and (3) minor assistance (e.g., provide ideas, photographs of research or other materials to use for in class as demonstrations) to undergraduates during their subsequent communication distance class as they develop inquiry-based science lessons for presentation to local secondary schools. Mentors may also help fellows develop a poster presentation as part of their communication class. We expect fellows to come away having participated in as many of the steps in scientific research as possible and a strengthened interest in graduate studies. We expect mentors to develop a greater ability and appreciation for managing and educating undergraduate students.
Mentorship applicants should consider how their current research projects can be used to produce a high quality learning experience for undergraduate fellows. Work by fellows is not limited to only the mentor’s PINEMAP research. Exposure to other researchers and projects is also greatly encouraged.
Funding and Eligibility Requirements:
Applicants must be master/doctoral students, post-docs, or other research staff participating in one of the six Aims of PINEMAP. Eligible projects will be related to PINEMAP research in your Aim, although some work may be conducted on non-PINEMAP research. The PINEMAP Undergraduate Fellowship Program will provide up to 12 awards for the 2015 calendar year.
Compensation
You will receive a summer season undergraduate research assistant to work at your institution. Graduate students or other PINEMAP staff will mentor an intern for a period of 12 weeks during summer 2015. They assist in data collection and hypothesis testing primarily on the awarded project. Travel, lodging, and per-diem funds are not included in this award; your research fund is responsible for these.
Conditions
Mentors are expected to provide support and guidance for the undergraduate intern during the summer and also during the following fall semester. This support includes assisting the intern with locating suitable housing for the summer where appropriate. Mentors will also be expected to provide expertise, samples, etc. as needed when students develop educational presentations. Mentors will be required to communicate periodically with the program coordinator and provide a reflection on their experience at the end of the summer.
Proposal Guidelines
Proposals should be limited to 2-3 pages using 12 pt Helvetica font. Specific information should include: which Aim encompasses the research, objectives for summer work, a description of the methods and analysis, and specific skills required by interns. Keep in mind that the internship program aims to create high-quality, interactive learning experiences both for undergraduate interns and secondary school students. When writing your proposal, objectives should be relative to the desired intern's work on your research project and not particularly for the project as a whole. You may want to consider what you want the intern to come away with after working under your guidance on this research project. Method and analysis sections also should encompass processes, equipment, and other resources an intern will use when conducting research and examining resulting data. Successful proposals will briefly describe how research can be translated into public school presentations. Interns taking a course in communicating about natural resources will develop an educational lesson focusing on their internship experience. This translation aspect of your proposal should relate how you would use your research to teach secondary school students about forestry research, climate change, and citizen science. Regardless of your research project's Aim, public school students will benefit most by being engaged during an inquiry-based, or hands-on, learning process.
Submission Deadline
February 2, 2015
Announcement of Awards
March 2015
To Apply:
Submit an online application through this site. You will need software capable of viewing PDF files, such as Adobe Reader. You will be not be able to save your application online, however you can save it to your hard drive and submit it later if you are connected to the internet. Completed applications should be emailed to the program coordinator.
A letter of support (indicating awareness of your application) from your major advisor is required and can be emailed to the fellowship program coordinator.
If you have additional questions, please contact the Program Coordinator.
