Program Overview

The Council of Undergraduate Research defines undergraduate research as: An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.

The Summer Undergraduate Research program provides an intensive research experience for students working one-on-one with a faculty mentor. Students receive training in the research methods applicable to their specific project, employ critical analysis, and create written and oral presentations of their results.

The Council of Undergraduate Research defines undergraduate research as: An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.

It is expected that each project:

  • Produces a significant, high-impact student learning experience
  • Has well-defined objectives and methods
  • Requires engagement with the disciplinary literature
  • Involves both oral and written presentation of information

To participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research program, students can approach faculty mentors about collaborating on potential research projects and/or faculty may approach students about serving as research assistants on their own new or already existing projects. After establishing a mentorship, students are required to apply (see Application Process information below).

Students planning to participate in the McNair Summer Research cohort are not eligible to apply. Students applying for or already accepted as a GSLI research assistant position for the summer are not eligible to apply. Students and faculty wishing to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research program remotely must clarify on their application how they will uphold the standards and expectations of the program. Applicants who plan to be out of the state or country for the entirety of the program will be reviewed with consideration of employment laws.

Student Expectations

  • Each student will work closely with a faculty mentor on a research project. Students and faculty mentors must discuss project commitment requirements prior to proposal submission (see Mentoring Models below). Students will submit their research proposal through Handshake (see Application Process below).
  • Students will attend one of the orientation sessions in May 2025 to review student employment protocol, interdisciplinary meetings, and an overall review of the program. Dates for the orientation sessions are listed below. Students cannot begin working on their research until they are officially hired by student employment and attend an orientation session.
  • Students will attend weekly interdisciplinary meetings conducted over the 8-week summer session. Students are required to attend 5 of the 8 interdisciplinary meetings. Two of these 5 must be the first meeting on June 11 and the last meeting on July 30. Meetings will be from 3–5:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoons in HWAC 351 (subject to change). Time spent at weekly interdisciplinary meetings must be recorded on students’ timecards and counts towards the maximum number of hours students can work each week based on their mentor model.
    • Meetings for the 2025 Summer Research program will be on June 11, 18, and 25 and July 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30.
  • Students will present their summer work as a poster at the final meeting on July 30. Students will receive feedback from peers, faculty, and other campus members. Each student is strongly encouraged to present the results of their research (either by delivering an oral presentation or participating in a poster session) at GeekFest during the fall semester and then again at the Westminster Student Showcase during the spring semester of that academic year. They are also encouraged to present at other regional and/or national conferences.
  • As this position is part of on-campus student employment, students cannot work more than 40 hours per week between their undergraduate research position and any other on-campus position they may have.
  • Students needing to live on campus to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research program can request accommodation and find out more information through Residence Life.

Student Compensation

Any Westminster student can apply if they will be enrolled as an undergraduate for Fall 2024.

Students selected to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research program will be hired as hourly student employees of the university and paid $12 per hour for the 2025 Summer term. Depending on the mentor model approved, students can earn up to $3,000 over the course of the 8-week summer experience. Westminster pays employees using direct deposit on a bi-monthly schedule.

Hourly wages are set by Student Employment. Project selection is contingent upon funding availability, eligibility of the project, satisfactory progress, and participation in interdisciplinary research support meetings. Support for the Summer Undergraduate Research program comes from various programs, including the Gore Math/Science Endowment, Eskuche Fund, Great Salt Lake Institute, Dee Foundation, Martin Fund, Provost's Office, and W.M. Keck Foundation.

The Teaching, Learning, and Resource faculty committee will consider all project proposals and make recommendations concerning the awarding of funds. Projects eligible for funding allow a student and Westminster faculty member to work collaboratively during the summer. Students may approach a potential faculty mentor with a specific research topic in mind or ask a potential faculty mentor to suggest possible research projects that would be appropriate. In either case, a mutual agreement between the student and potential faculty mentor regarding general project goals must be identified prior to submission of an application.

Faculty Compensation and Expectations

Faculty are compensated based on the faculty responsibilities and mentoring model identified in the proposal. Faculty are only compensated once, regardless of number of students under their supervision. Faculty supervising multiple students with different mentorship models will be compensated based on the highest paying model. Faculty are paid bi-monthly from May–July 2025.

Although students will submit the initial application through Handshake, faculty mentors are required to review the application and fill out another questionnaire through Handshake as well. Applications can be submitted by students until March 23. The review and additional questionnaire will be emailed to faculty mentors after the student’s submission. Faculty mentors have until March 30 to review the application and complete an additional survey which will then be sent to other stakeholders for review and approval or denial.

Additionally, faculty mentors are required to attend one of the orientation sessions held in April 2025. These sessions will review supervisor responsibilities, important dates, and general program information.

Faculty mentors are not required to attend every weekly Wednesday interdisciplinary workshop however, faculty mentors are required to attend the first meeting on June 11 and the last meeting on July 30. Meetings are from 3–5:00 p.m. in HWAC 351. Faculty mentors who are funded as a part-time or full-time model are also required to teach/co-teach a topic at one of the weekly workshops. Topic presentations must be a minimum of 30 minutes. Faculty can sign up for one of these workshops once award notifications are made.

Mentoring Models

Faculty mentors and student mentees should discuss which mentoring model they would prefer before applying. Students will select which mentor model they are applying for in Handshake. There are 3 mentoring models. Please review the models and their expectations below to determine which is most feasible for your research project and summer schedule. Faculty and/or students working remotely on a temporary basis must commit to the equivalent meeting time and style for any of these models using appropriate technology (Microsoft Teams, etc.).

  • Full-Time Student-Faculty Team Model: The faculty mentor is a collaborator engaged in the project along with the student(s) providing consistent supervision, multiple times a week (e.g., due to difficult technical or safety needs) and feedback on the work and/or ideas.
    • Faculty works with students at least 9 hours a week and attends and participates in the first and last interdisciplinary meetings (June 11 and July 30). Compensation: $3,000.
    • Faculty present at one of the weekly workshops during the program. Faculty can work together to present on a topic pertaining to research methods, life post-grad, etc. Presentations must be 30 minutes minimum.
    • Student works up to 31.25 hours per week which consists of work done on the funded project as well as attending at least 5 of the weekly interdisciplinary meetings. Two out of the five required weekly meetings must be the first meeting on June 11 and the last meeting on July 30. Students may choose the remaining 3 meetings they would like to attend based on their interests. Total summer compensation can range from $2,000–$3,000 depending on how many hours the student records on their timecard. Students will be notified when they reach their maximum number of hours, once the maximum number has been reached students and faculty cannot continue working.
  • Part-Time Student-Faculty Team Model: The faculty mentor is a collaborator engaged in the project along with a student(s) providing consistent, but periodic, supervision and feedback on the work and/or ideas. Minimum of weekly student/mentor meetings.
    • Faculty works with students at least 6 hours a week and attends and participates in the first and last interdisciplinary meetings (June 11 and July 30). Compensation: $2,000.
    • Faculty present at one of the weekly workshops during the program. Faculty can work together to present on a topic pertaining to research methods, life post-grad, etc. Presentations must be 30 minutes minimum.
    • Student works 10-20 hours per week which consists of work done on the funded project as well as attending at least 5 of the weekly interdisciplinary meetings. Two out of the five required weekly meetings must be the first meetings on June 11 and the last meeting on July 30. Students may choose the remaining 3 meetings they would like to attend based on their interests. Total summer compensation can range from $1,000-$2,000 depending on how many hours the student records on their timecard. Students will be notified when they reach their maximum number of hours, once the maximum number has been reached students and faculty cannot continue working.
  • Independent Researcher Model: The faculty mentor periodically advises the student on a project that is by and large the student's idea and effort. Minimum of bi-weekly student/mentor meetings.
    • Faculty works with students at least 3 hours a week and attends and participates in the first and last interdisciplinary meetings (June 11 and July 30). Compensation $1,000.
    • Student works 5-10 hours per week which consists of work done on the funded project as well as attending at least 5 of the weekly interdisciplinary meetings. Two out of the five required weekly meetings must be the first meeting on June 11 and the last meeting on July 30. Students may choose the remaining 3 meetings they would like to attend based on their interests. Total summer compensation can range from $500-$1,000 depending on how many hours the student records on their timecard. Students will be notified when they reach their maximum number of hours, once the maximum number has been reached students and faculty cannot continue working.

Accepted Faculty and Student Orientation Sessions

Once project selection and funding details are sent out, all faculty and students participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program must attend an orientation during April 2025. These orientations will help faculty and students complete the new hire process and review student employee timekeeping, supervisor responsibilities which fall onto faculty mentors, and other employment guidelines pertaining to the program. Faculty and students who do not attend an orientation meeting will not receive funding. Faculty only need to attend one orientation if mentoring multiple students. If you have an issue attending one of the orientations, please email academicresearch@westminsteru.edu immediately to set up an alternative meeting time.

Students and faculty are permitted to start working on research and recording time after they attend an orientation session and are fully hired by student employment. Students will be notified when they are officially hired. All participants will be cleared to work by the first week of June 2025.

ORIENTATION DATES

  • Friday, April 18 | 10–10:45 a.m. | Dick 102
  • Tuesday, April 22 | 12–12:45 p.m. | Dick 102
  • Wednesday, April 23 | 2–2:45 p.m. | Gore 134
  • Tuesday, April 29 | 4–4:45 p.m. | Gore 133

Students and faculty in the summer research program only need to attend one of the above orientation dates.

Application Process

To be considered for the Summer Undergraduate Research program, students must submit a proposal through Handshake. The proposal should be a collaborative effort between the student and faculty member, but the student mentee must be the one to submit the form.

The Handshake application questions regarding the proposed research project can be found below. Faculty mentors and student mentees should review the questions together and draft answers that can be copied and pasted into the Handshake application by the student.

  1. Provide a 5-10 sentence summary of your project overview, including your hypothesis and predicted conclusions.
  2. What is the purpose of your research and what methods will you use? (5 sentences minimum)
  3. How will you engage with current literature on the topic? (5 sentences minimum)
  4. How will your research contribute new, creative information to your discipline/field? (5 sentences minimum)
  5. What are the student’s anticipated responsibilities and activities for the research project? (5 sentence minimum)
  6. Detail specific extra support that will be needed (funds, spaces, materials, human support).
  7. What is the primary reason you are interested in conducting research with your faculty mentor over the summer? (5 sentence minimum)
  8. What research skills/interests do you have that are relevant to this project? You can include previous research or job experience. (5 sentence minimum)
  9. What are your post-graduation plans? How does conducting this research help you reach these goals? (5 sentence minimum)

All Westminster students have a Handshake account and can log in using their Westminster credentials. Students will fill out the form which will then be sent to faculty for review. While reviewing the application, faculty will be asked to answer a few more additional questions. Faculty have until March 30 to review and answer the additional questions from when the email is received. Afterward, applications will be sent to the Teaching, Learning, and Resources (TLR) committee for approval. Acceptance emails will be sent to students and faculty after TLR review. If faculty do not review and approve the application my March 30, the application will be voided.

To access the application through Handshake, please following the steps:

  • Log in using your Westminster credentials
  • Select Career Center
  • Select Experiences
  • Select Request an Experience
  • Under the "Experience Type" drop-down menu, select “Summer Undergraduate Research” (it is critical you select the correct experience)
  • Upon submitting, please ensure your proposed faculty mentor watches for an approval email from Handshake, titled "Please review this experience request for STUDENT NAME," which sometimes goes to email Junk folders.
  • Faculty will have until March 30 to review, answer form questions, approve the application for the next step in the review process.
  • If you have any questions or trouble with the application, email academicresearch@westminsteru.edu.

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR SUMMER RESEARCH

Application Deadlines

  • Application opens: February 21, 2025
  • Deadline for submission: March 23, 2025
  • Deadline for faculty application review and approval: March 30, 2025
  • Notification: April 11, 2025
  • Questions? Email academicresearch@westminsteru.edu.