ELEMENTS OF THE STUDENT PROPOSAL

The Student Proposal consists of four sections:

Applicant and Project Information
Project Description
Project Timeline
SPIRE Research Community Statement

Instructions for completing each of these sections are provided below.

Applicant and Project Information

This section asks the applicant to address the following topics:

Their intended month and year of graduation
The title of their proposed project
Plans (if any) to begin their project before SPIRE starts and/or continue it after SPIRE ends
The intended location(s) of their research while in SPIRE

Seeking to cultivate a community of student researchers on campus over the summer, OUR will generally prioritize SPIRE applications from students who plan to conduct research on or near UMD's campus in College Park. If an applicant indicates that they wish to work outside the College Park area while in SPIRE, this section will invite them to make a case for why an alternative location is necessary for their project. This discussion should be no more than 1,250 characters.

Project Description

This section poses short essay questions related to five topics. Character limits apply to each response.

1. Research Question & Academic Significance

What research question(s) do you plan to explore through your project? If you intend to work on the project before and/or after your time in SPIRE, how does the work you plan to do to examine this question while in SPIRE fit into the project as a whole? How does your proposed project relate to your mentor's research and broader conversations or topics of interest in the field(s) in which the project is being conducted? (3,000 characters maximum)

For this question, the student should introduce the topic of their project and describe the key research question(s) the project will consider. Bearing in mind that the reviewers of their application will most likely not be experts in their areas of interest, the applicant should explain how their project contributes to the field(s) in which it will be conducted. What new insights will it offer? Each applicant should also explicitly indicate how their project relates to their mentor's research agenda; students are welcome to propose projects that relate only indirectly to their mentor's research, but the common interests that underlie the advising relationship should be made clear.

If the student intends to work on part of a longer-running project during their eight weeks in SPIRE, the student should also make clear how exactly the work that they wish to do while in SPIRE relates to the project as a whole. For instance, if a literature student ultimately wishes to write an analysis of three novels for an honors thesis, they might specify that they intend to focus on one of the novels during their time in SPIRE and explain how the analysis of this novel will advance the project as a whole.

An excellent response will clearly state the research question(s) being addressed and

describe how the proposed project fits into the context of one or more fields and relates to the mentor's research. If a student wishes to pursue SPIRE research as part of a longer-running project, the response will also clearly illuminate how the work to be performed during the student's time in SPIRE relates to the project as a whole.

2. Academic & Supplemental Preparation
Please identify and discuss the courses and prior research and other experiences that have prepared you to undertake your proposed project. (1,250 characters maximum)

The student should describe how their prior or current studies, research experiences, internships, jobs, extracurricular activities, study abroad, or other forms of learning support their ability to carry out their project. The student should be specific about the language skills, data analysis skills, or other abilities they possess that will enable them to carry out their project.

An excellent response will provide persuasive evidence that the student is well prepared to carry out their proposed project.

3. Research Methods & Access to Necessary Resources
What research methods will you (and your broader research group, if you will undertake this project as part of a larger group) be using to explore your question(s) of interest? If you need access to particular supplies, equipment, non-public datasets, or other resources to undertake your project, how will you obtain access to these resources? (1,250 characters maximum)

The student should explain the methods that will be used to investigate the research question(s) that they specified in the "Research Question & Academic Significance" section. They should also highlight any special resources that they will need to undertake their project and explain how they intend to gain access to these resources.

An excellent response will clearly describe the research methods that will be used to conduct the project. If special resources are needed to complete the project, an excellent response will also provide a comprehensive list of these resources and indicate that the student will be able to gain access to them if accepted to SPIRE.

4. Student Initiative & Responsibility
Please provide an overview of your role and responsibilities in the context of the proposed project. (1,250 characters maximum)

In responding to this question, the student should describe their anticipated role in the principal activities of their proposed project, including their role in data/source collection, analysis, and interpretation. We expect that many applicants will propose to work on research projects being undertaken by larger research teams; this question will enable these applicants to highlight their specific responsibilities within the context of their research groups.

An excellent response will demonstrate student creativity, initiative, and understanding of the proposed project's design. It will be clear that the student will be responsible for important activities, including the analysis and interpretation of data/sources.

5. Impact of Project on Student Development
How does your proposed project align with and advance your academic and professional goals? (1,250 characters maximum)

OUR wishes to support projects that will have a meaningful impact on student learning and growth. In this section, the student should address how their proposed project will help them move closer to meeting their academic and professional goals.

An excellent response will clearly explain the proposed project's relevance to the student's academic and career aims and make a strong case that the project will significantly advance these goals.

Project Timeline

This section invites the applicant to map out a week-by-week schedule for the eight-week SPIRE period. For each of the eight weeks, the student should identify at least one overarching research goal, as well as a set of concrete activities that they will undertake to advance their goal(s) for the week. The entry for each week should be no longer than 1,000 characters.

Here is a sample entry for the first week of a SPIRE project:

Research Goal(s):

I want to deepen my understanding of how previous studies have addressed my research question.

Specific Actions to Advance Research Goal(s):

--I will meet with a UMD librarian for guidance on identifying sources.

--I will search for relevant sources using appropriate databases.

--I will review and organize selected sources identified through my literature search.

--I will meet with my faculty mentor to discuss sources identified through my search.

In preparing their timelines, applicants should bear in mind that OUR will not expect them to follow these timelines strictly if they ultimately participate in SPIRE. The aim of this section is to encourage applicants to think concretely about what can be accomplished in eight weeks and to develop an initial schedule. This schedule can then subsequently be modified in consultation with the student's advisor as new issues and challenges emerge.

An excellent timeline will be one that presents a clear, feasible schedule for the student's project.

SPIRE Research Community Statement

During the summer, OUR aims to facilitate a sense of community among students conducting research on campus, and SPIRE students will attend periodic workshops and other events with each other. OUR will aim to make these meetings productive and engaging while addressing the needs of SPIRE students. This section invites applicants to discuss what they think they would gain from participating in the SPIRE community over the summer, as well as how they would contribute to this community. Responses should be no more than 1,250 characters.

If you are proposing to conduct research at a location that is not in or near College Park, MD, for your SPIRE project, please also include a discussion of strategies or approaches that could be leveraged to develop a sense of community between SPIRE researchers based on campus and SPIRE researchers based elsewhere. Please also address your commitment to pursuing these strategies or approaches if you participate in SPIRE.

An excellent response will convey a clear interest in participating in the SPIRE community, as well as a concrete sense of what the applicant hopes to gain from their participation and what they intend to contribute to the community.