* ANNOUNCING, for 2007-2008 *
The Trinity College Research Forums for Undergraduate Independent Research in the Biological or Neural Sciences
The primary goals of the Trinity College Research Forum in Biology and the Trinity College Research Forum in Neuroscience--known formerly as the Howard Hughes Forums--are to encourage undergraduate independent research in the biological or neural sciences. Students selected to be Research Forum Fellows participate in a special seminar course and poster session in the spring semester in which they present and discuss their research projects. Portions of the seminar will be devoted to preparing and defending a written research proposal on either the work the student is doing or on future directions the work could take.
Each Forum will award 15 grants of up to $500 to support independent projects. These grants will be awarded to Third- and Fourth-year students for their projects on the basis of applications they prepare and submit, as described below.
The research must be carried out in connection with a formal independent study for which the student is enrolled in Fall 2007 and/or Spring 2008 and is supervised by a Duke faculty member. Faculty are welcome to sponsor more than one applicant in any given year. Prior Forum participants are not eligible to participate again. Students need not major in Biology, Neurobiology, or Psychology; nor must the research be conducted in these particular departments.
A panel of faculty will select the Trinity College Fellows. Please note that the deadline for receipt of proposals is 5:00 p.m. Thursday, October 4, 2007, and is firm. Applicants will be notified by e-mail no later than November 1. If you have any questions regarding this program or proposal preparation, please e-mail Ms Deborah Wahl (deborah.wahl@duke.edu).
Application Guidelines. Applications should be typed (single-spaced) and should include the parts listed below. Together, sections 2 and 3 should not exceed one page in length.
1. Cover page -- This should include the title of the research, departmental affiliation of the research mentor and the student's and mentor's names, e-mail and mailing addresses, and telephone numbers. Note the academic year (Junior or Senior) of the student, and specify whether you wish consideration for the Biology Forum ("B"), Neurosciences Forum ("N"), or either of these ("E"). Please note that successful applicants will be admitted to a single forum; offers of acceptance are not transferable between forums. No plastic report covers, please.
2. Background and Justification -- a brief, single-paragraph description, including reference citations where appropriate, of the scientific context for the study, written so as to be accessible to a non-specialist but scientifically literate reader. (This and the following section should be composed and written by the student.)
3. Objectives -- A clear statement of the central problem or question and the student's role in addressing it.
4. Budget and Budget Justification.
THREE copies of the application, PLUS
5. A Letter of Support from the Advising Professor -- This should be confidential, with two copies submitted in a single sealed envelope accompanying the proposal. The letter may clarify how the approach the student will take is appropriate to the goals of the study.
The entire submission package should be submitted to:
Dr. V. Louise Roth, Director, T.C. Research Forum in Biology, Department
of Biology, Box 90338, or
Dr. Warren Meck, Director, T.C. Research Forum in Neuroscience, Department
of Psychology & Neuroscience, Box 91050
If delivering by hand, look for the "Research Forum" mail bins
in 135 BioSciences Bldg. (for “B” or “E” proposals);
or Ms. Robin Dunn's office (Undergraduate Studies in Psychology), Room 245 Soc-Psych Building (for “N” or “E” proposals).
Please contact Dr. Louise Roth (Biology) for additional information about the program [vlroth@duke.edu]. Or follow this link for further information, including a PDF version of this announcement.
Criteria for ranking the applications include:
1. The quality of the proposal:
Are the objectives clearly stated?
Is sufficient background provided to make the context and significance of the research clear?
Are the methods and procedures appropriate for the project's goals?
Is the proposal clearly written and logically organized?
2. Pedagogical merit of the project:
Is the project feasible, well-circumscribed, directed at answering a non-trivial, interesting question, and likely to produce an interpretable result?
Are the facilities appropriate, and does the personal investment of the mentor appear to be sufficient for the student to receive necessary guidance?
3. Merit of the student:
Does the advisor express sufficient confidence in the student's ability to carry out and profit from the research experience?