Summer Scholars opens applications to allow students and faculty to collaborate
The Summer Scholars Program at Saint Joseph’s University allows undergraduate students of both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Haub School of Business the opportunity to conduct independent research with a faculty mentor on the subject of the student’s choosing.
The program, which runs from late May through early August, has formally been in place at St. Joe’s for the past 10 years. It stemmed from research activities that revolved around the natural sciences. In 2005, University Administration committed nearly $100,000 in additional funding to provide positions for students throughout the university.
“It is a great opportunity to work one-on-one with a faculty member that you haven’t experienced that is very different from what you have in the classroom,” said Jean M. Smolen, Ph.D., associate Dean of Math, Natural Sciences, and Computer Science. “So you get the experience, the benefit, of a faculty member’s expertise, you get to work on one thing full-time, and you also, depending on what you are doing, get to interact with other students that are participating.”
In addition to a recommendation from your proposed mentor, the application process entails drafting a one to two page proposal of your research with the faculty member who you have chosen to work with. Faculty members who have volunteered to be mentors for the program can be found on the program website.
“If a student does want to work with a faculty member who is not listed, I would encourage them to still speak with that person,” Smolen said. “Sometimes faculty have said to me, ‘Oh you know I didn’t sign up to volunteer, but a student approached me and I want to work.’ And that’s OK, we are flexible as far as that goes.”
While students often conduct research that pairs with their major, students are able to choose any department and subject matter that interests them.
Eric Adjei-danquah, ’17, a biology major, participated in the program following his freshman year researching how socioeconomic differences and philosophical value systems are perceived to create differences within the black community, working with Brian Yates, Ph.D., assistant professor of history.
“I chose history because it was something different…It’s something that I enjoy but I didn’t really get a chance to do throughout my undergrad process because I was so focused on bio,” Adjei-danquah said. “So I chose to do history because I enjoyed it and my project was something that was really close to me.”
Adjei-danquah chose to participate in Summer Scholars because he would be able to control and direct his research.
“You can pick and choose how you want to learn, which way you want to learn, and sort of what you want to learn even though you are studying comprehensively, then tailoring that to a really specific project,” Adjei-danquah said. “I really enjoyed that.”
Students who are chosen to participate in the program receive a stipend of $3,200 and are offered a reduced cost of housing at $500.
Further, participants are required to attend Celebration of Student Achievement Day, which is held in the spring, and a Summer Scholars Dinner where students are able to present their work. This past year’s dinner was held on Nov. 15.
“One of my favorite things is the dinner that we have in the fall and it’s because a lot of times parents and other family members will come to the dinner and also to the poster session that we have before the dinner, so they get to see what their sons or daughters are working on,” Smolen said. “It is sort of a culmination of all of the work that everyone’s done; people have finished products, mentors attend, and it is a nice way to recognize the hard work that everybody did and also to recognize the donors that contribute to the program.”
The applications for summer 2017 opened on Nov. 21 and will remain open until Feb. 6, 2017.
