Student Research Fellows Program

Student Research Fellows Program

Initiative 1.4 of Campbell University’s Strategic Plan is to establish a student research program for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, a facet of the larger aim of securing gains in academic quality. We are pleased to continue the summer Student Research Fellows program for undergraduate students, as we work to build a campus-wide Student Research Program. 

The summer program offers financial and research support for student-driven projects that emphasize collaboration between undergraduate students and faculty mentors. The program will provide value beyond existing summer student research projects by bookending the summer research experience with unique learning and presentation opportunities.  A stipend will be awarded to participating students and faculty members. 

Program Overview

Program Dates 

Submission Deadline: Monday, February 22, 2021

Awards Announced: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 
Award recipients will be  notified by email and are recognized at the Wiggins Memorial Library Academic Symposium Closing Awards Ceremony.

Welcome & Workshops: Monday, May 17, 2021 
Welcome and review of program requirements and deadlines; workshop on research basics. 

Student Progress Meetings: Fridays, May 28 & June 18, 2021
One-hour interdisciplinary discussions among students; share project updates. 

Student & Faculty Progress Meetings: Fridays, June 4 & 25, 2021
One-hour interdisciplinary discussions among students and faculty mentors; share project updates.  

Presentation Day: Friday, July 9, 2021
Program conclusion with student presentations of research.

*An IRB workshop may be held shortly after awards are announced in late March or early April, depending on need and interest.

Student Eligibility

The program is limited to Campbell University undergraduate students, with funding prioritized to full-time students (registered for 12.0 credit hours or more) who have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Program Expectations

Student Expectations 

  • Commit 20-40 hours a week to research during the duration of the program. The exact time commitment can be discussed with your faculty mentor.
  • Attend relevant program events (Welcome & Workshop; two Student & Faculty Progress Meetings, and Presentation Day). 
  • Produce a discipline-appropriate research output (e.g. research paper, design project, creative work, technical report). 
  • Write a short reflection essay on the program experience. 
  • Present at the 2022 Wiggins Memorial Library Academic Symposium, or another venue during the 2021-22 academic year. 

Faculty Expectations 

  • Attend relevant program events (Welcome & Workshop; two Student & Faculty Progress Meetings, and Presentation Day). 
  • Get approval for research materials purchased from Department Chair. Academic departments are encouraged to use departmental funds to cover research materials and travel expenses. Mentors should consult with their Department Chair to provide a budget of project expenses prior to nominating a student. 
  • Mentoring and supporting student research as appropriate within the program timeline (It is highly recommended that lengthier processes like obtaining IRB approval begin as soon as possible after award notification).
  • Faculty may be asked to facilitate discussion at Student & Faculty Progress Meetings, or lead opening workshop. 

Awards

  • Student Awards: $2,500 will awarded to participating students, to be given in May.  
  • Faculty Awards: $2,000 will be awarded to participating mentors, to be given in May. 

Submissions

Students will complete the submission form below, uploading a Cover Sheet and Project Proposal, outlined below, as PDF attachments. To complete the submission form, please first log in to your Campbell University Gmail account.

Submission Form

Cover Page

Students will complete and submit the following Cover Page, which states their intention of fulfilling the program requirements, if accepted, and provides a 150-word proposal abstract.  Note: The Cover Page requires the signature of the faculty mentor and department chair.

The Cover Page should be saved as a PDF and submitted as an attachment with the submission form above.

Download Cover Page

Project Proposal 

Students will draft a project proposal organized using the following sections. Proposals should be 11-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced and no longer than 5 pages.  Project proposals should be saved as a PDF and submitted as an attachment on the submission form above. 

  1. Purpose
    1. Indicate the purpose of your project/research study
  2. Project Narrative
    1. Provide a well-written project narrative, which includes:
      1. A brief background of your project and/or topic
      2. Plans or methods to carry out the project
      3. A timeline for completion of the project. (Be sure to consider steps such as soliciting IRB approval, collecting and analyzing information/data, synthesizing information, and presenting findings, as appropriate.) 
  3. Budget
    1. Provide a budget for this project, considering materials, equipment, and/or travel expenses. 
    2. Academic departments are encouraged to use departmental funds to cover research materials and travel expenses at the pilot stage of this program. Mentors nominating students are expected to consult with their Department Chair to provide a budget of project expenses.

Projects will be evaluated according to the following rubric:

View Scoring Rubric