THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS HAS PASSED

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Request for Proposals for Spring 2010 Pilot

Deadline for Proposals: Monday, November 9, 2009

The Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching and Learning are pleased to announce an initiative that will fund Undergraduate Research and Mentoring projects at Queens College during the Spring 2010 semester.  This initiative is based on a successful program that ran from 1994 until 2004. This year’s re-launch constitutes a pilot, to show proof of interest from our faculty and students. The initiative will fund outstanding activities in which undergraduates and faculty collaborate in research or other scholarly or creative work. Faculty from all academic disciplines are invited to apply.

Award types – We suggest two broad categories, designed to encourage broad participation. Alternative models, if justified, will also be considered.

• Group research (5 or more students): A faculty research mentor will supervise the work of 5 or more students, working on one project or a set of related projects.  Students will receive academic credit by registering for a “Special Problems” or “Undergraduate Research” course with the faculty mentor. The faculty mentor will receive workload credit for teaching that course; this must be approved by the department chair.  Funding: up to $3,000 for each mentoring group, to be used for costs related to the research activity or for travel to present research findings at conferences.
• One-on-one research (1-2 students): A faculty research mentor will work with one or two students on a project or similar projects. The student(s) will register for an “Independent Research” course, up to 3 credits. Funding: up to $1,250 per student, to be used for laboratory supplies and analyses, travel to present findings at conferences, or other research-related activities.

Application process – Project proposals, due November 9, should be submitted as a single PDF, RTF, or DOC (MS Word) file that must include the following:

•  Project title, name and departmental affiliation of all participating faculty
•  Project summary (500 words maximum), including a description of the proposed research activity and discussion of anticipated outcomes (e.g.: grant proposal submission, conference presentation, conference abstract submission, report, performance)
•  Number of students and award type requested (group research or one on one mentoring)
•  Budget and budget justification
•  Two-page CV or biographical sketch of participating faculty

We encourage you to use the template (available in RTF and MS Word DOC format) as a guide for composing your proposal.

Funded projects will require sign-off from department chair.

Funding period – January-August 2010

Proposal review committee – Stephen Pekar (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences), Kristin Celello (History), Edward Smaldone (Aaron Copland School of Music), Dean Savage (Sociology), Eva Fernández (Center for Teaching & Learning)

Award decisions – announced by November 16

Expectations – Successful projects will enable faculty mentors to integrate their research interests in ways that will not only promote their scholarship, but also provide for students intellectual engagement and exciting interaction with the discipline. Successful projects will also foster the development of new skill sets in students, via their participation in writing abstracts or papers, reporting research at conferences, or exhibiting or performing their work.

Dissemination – Toward the end of the funding period, we will ask award recipients to provide a brief summary of the outcomes of their project(s), including accomplishments and future directions. We are also planning a mini-conference, in September 2010, to highlight the work carried out by the undergraduates involved in the awards, and will disseminate information about the most successful projects electronically and in Queens College promotional literature.