Information for Students

• Summer CURI research can be full-time or part-time, on- or off-campus, depending on a faculty member’s proposal. Student researchers must live in Minnesota for payroll purposes.
• Students earn $13.50/hour. Projects vary in number of hours per week and number of weeks per summer, but many will be full-time (40 hours per week for 10 weeks).
• Full-time student researchers will be provided with a room in a residence hall double at no-charge. No support for off-campus housing. Part-time student researchers will be eligible for subsidized housing.
• Students working as full-time CURI researchers cannot hold other positions on campus during the program term.
• Students working for at least 50 hours over the summer with at least 10 hours of mentoring and who participate in the Fall Showcase will receive OEP credit.

• If students receive housing support, that support will be taxed as though it is a wage.
• Meal plans are not provided.
• Parking permit is not provided.
• You will submit your final housing plans to the housing department when they send out their email in the spring for summer planning.

Steen Fellowships for student-initiated projects expand opportunities for undergraduate research and investigation by enabling qualified students to undertake independent scholarship, investigation or creative activities in any field related to their college studies. Fellowships are intended to encourage applicants to explore intellectual and creative interests beyond the classroom. Projects should be designed and carried out by the applicant and should culminate in some sort of public report, presentation, performance or display.

A selection committee of faculty will approve funding for feasible, interesting and well-designed projects that fit the applicant’s background and goals. For example, Fellowships might support research in libraries, laboratories, museums or archives; projects could involve fieldwork, travel or creating works of art. Proposals should be developed with the guidance of faculty but do not require faculty supervision. Fellowship awards are based on the quality and originality of the proposal and the qualifications of the applicant to successfully complete the project.

Projects will be carried out in the summer and will not be eligible for academic credit. Fellowships are not to be used for support of internships or for formal study at other academic institutions. Eligibility is limited to rising juniors and seniors; awards are based on the proposal’s merit and will not depend on an applicant’s financial aid status. Applicants can use at most $3000 of the possible $5000 award as a stipend if they work at least 225 hours. The stipend, if awarded, will be paid in two installments: half in late May, the other half after CURI receives a report demonstrating progress and commitment to the project.

The program will award 3-5 Fellowships each year of up to $5,000 each for an 8-10 week summer project.

All application materials should be submitted electronically through the online Google Form that will be due mid-February. The specific date for a particular summer will be posted on the applications page.

Application items include:

1. Project description:
   1. specific goals;
   2. contributions to area of study;
   3. methods used to complete the project;
   4. weekly plan;
   5. preparation (coursework and relevant experiences; and
   6. relevance for future studies and career discernment.
2. Project budget, not to exceed $5000. This may include expenses (e.g. housing, transportation, supplies) as well as a stipend (up to $3000 for at least 225 hours of work). Travel, housing, and meals will only be reimbursed if they are necessary for the project’s success.
3. Self-written statement of professional conduct, ethics and safety as appropriate for the scope and nature of the project. Resources for professionalism can be found here.
4. Plans for dissemination of the work completed during the project.
5. Letter of recommendation regarding your suitability for completing an independent, unsupervised project from a St. Olaf mentor, preferably from a member of the St. Olaf faculty.  The letter should be written by someone who can comment directly on the feasibility and significance of the project you design. Consult with your letter writer well ahead of the due date for the Steen application. Letters should be submitted directly to CURI@stolaf.edu on or before the deadline.
6. Letter from host institution or project site (if applicable).
7. For projects involving human subjects an IRB Review Request and Ethics Plan may have to be completed (after you receive funding): plan ahead for how you will meet this requirement.

Successful candidates will be asked to complete a waiver and a student stipend request form before initiating work on their project.

Awards support faculty-student teams with stipends as described above and support budgets of up to $2000. Faculty/student teams needing more than $2000 in support (e.g. if travel expenses are high) can choose to forgo all or part of their stipends. Please contact the CURI Director if this is the case.

• Depending on the length of the project, teams will be required to submit progress reports on one or more of the following dates: July 15, October 15, February 15, and May 15. Stipends will be paid in equal amounts after each required reporting date.

Funds may be used to:

• • help with specific costs of the proposed project, such as supplies or travel;
  • the cost of presenting the work at appropriate forums;
  • provide incidental materials support for the faculty member involved.
• We encourage collaborations between a single faculty member and a single student; however, projects may involve a faculty member and up to three students, and occasionally a student or students with more than one faculty member. The award is for projects planned with students who will be enrolled at St. Olaf for the duration of the project.
• Projects can be based in any and all disciplines and fields. Fellows may pursue their project during the summer or academic year.
• The award can fund projects to be carried out at any time starting June 1, but must be completed by May 31 of the following year.

The selection committee seeks applications that:

• Plan actual collaborations between faculty and students over proposals that represent student work supervised by a faculty member, or faculty work in which the student participates.
• Situate the proposed project in the context of the student’s interests and work, and also in the context of the faculty member’s interests and work, making clear the value of participating in the project to each of the applicants.
• Commit to make the results of the project public, but the selection committee appreciates the risk of failure entailed in any venturesome project, and will be happy to see the public sharing of surprising or unexpected results, as well as of hoped-for results. Award funds may be used to travel to present project results.

Proposals must be submitted collaboratively by the student(s) and faculty mentor(s) via a Google Form, generally due in mid-March. The information needed includes the following:

• the names of the proposers;
• the title of the proposed project;
• a full description of the project, as well as an abstract that can be used for announcements and other public uses;
• a total support budget for the project, not to exceed $2000, and details on how it will be used;
  • Note: If the project will receive additional funding from other sources, the proposal should include an explanation of how all funds will be allocated in the project budget.
• an estimate of the number of hours per week that the student(s) will work and the number of hours per week that the team will be on contact with one another;
• a statement from each collaborator about their interest in and expected contribution to the project and how the project fits into their other interests and academic careers;
• specify which collaborator is working on what pieces of the project;
• a statement of how the results of the project will be shared with the public.

A review committee convened by the CURI Director will announce recipients of the Fellows by end of March.

 You must apply by completing the Rand Scholar Application form by sometime in mid-February. The exact due date will be published on the CURI website. Information requested in the form includes background information needed to understand the research envisioned, a statement of questions or hypotheses to be explored, an explanation of your methodology including information about any data to be used or collected, a sample bibliography identifying key primary and secondary resources, an intended timeline for conducting the research, and the courses and experiences that have prepared you to undertake your study. Additionally, you must submit a completed application for an independent research course. You may preview the set of questions here.

A letter of support from the St. Olaf faculty member who has agreed to supervise the Fall or Spring semester Independent Research course must be submitted to curi@stolaf.edu by the application deadline posted on the application page. You must also provide the name of one additional faculty member who is willing to be a reference.

Past proposals and final projects of previous Rand Scholars are archived on the CURI website and available for you to use as a guide. 

The successful candidates will be asked to complete a waiver and a student stipend request form before initiating work on their project.

If you are offered and accept an award, you will be a “Rand Scholar” (for use on your résumé).

Rand Proposal example 1

Rand Proposal example 2

Rand Proposal example 3