Center Invites Faculty Proposals for Paid Undergraduate Intern Support in 2023-24 Academic Year

  • By: Deborah Carr

The Center for Innovation in Social Sciences (CISS) welcomes proposals for its 2023-24 academic year paid undergraduate research internship program, focusing on three thematic areas: 1) social justice and inclusion; 2) inequalities; and 3) sustainability. The research project should draw on social science methods and explore questions related to human society and social behavior. Priority will be given to projects that directly involve undergraduates in the analysis and/or collection of data, where data are construed broadly to encompass qualitative, quantitative, archival, digital, and other forms. Interns will also have the opportunity participate in a one-credit Hub co-curricular focused on social science research skills and practices. Center affiliates and BU faculty from any CAS department are eligible to apply. (To become a CISS affiliate, apply here).

The purpose of this initiative is three-fold: 1) to support and advance faculty research in these areas; 2) to provide undergraduate students interested in honing their research skills with an experiential learning opportunity; and 3) to provide student interns to with a cohort experience through participation in a co-curricular held at CISS. This initiative will run for the course of Academic Year 23/24 with student interns presenting their final work at the CISS-sponsored research symposium featuring the interns and their mentors in April 2024.  Students will also participate in a year-long one-credit Hub co-curricular focused on Research and Information Literacy, hosted by CISS. We encourage applications from pairs or teams of scholars with interdisciplinary projects that are appropriate for placing two interns. 

 Learn more about the CISS internship program and meet our current and past cohorts of interns

Details

  • How it works: Research projects will be organized and managed by faculty members. We are seeking proposals from faculty who are conducting research on the identified topics and have defined a role for undergraduate student researchers.  We encourage two or more faculty members to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects that might employ two student interns. 
  • Expectations: The student would be an integral research partner: 
    • Developing, preparing, and presenting their work within the research project
    • Gaining research skills training and experience
    • Contributing up to eight hours a week
    • Participating in twice-monthly cohort meetings at CISS, to learn about formal research practices and share reflections on their own work (i.e., Hub one-credit co-curricular).
  • Funding: Up to $2,500 per student research intern is available as a stipend to the student (it is expected that students will contribute approximately 133 hours over the two semesters). 
  • Timeline: 
    • Informational session and Q&A (optional): September 12, 2023 3:30-4:30 pm via Zoom. (Register here)
    • Submissions Due: September 18, 2023
    • Announcement of selected projects: first week of October 2023
    • Final Presentation: April 2024 
  • How to apply:  
    • Faculty members should follow the application template:  
      • Brief explanation of the research project goals, significance, and approach (2–3 paragraphs)
      • Description of the specific role of the research intern(s) in the project (1–2 paragraphs), including the methods used and a description of the skills and knowledge the student(s) will acquire as a result of the work
      • Tentative timeline of the research interns’ work over the year (1 paragraph)
    • Faculty who have already identified a student(s) as a possible collaborator(s) are encouraged to apply. The Center can also identify a student research assistant for funded applicants (learn more here).
    • CISS plans to award up to five funded internships in AY 23/24. Proposals will be evaluated by faculty affiliates and members of the center Steering Committee. Criteria will include the project’s relevance to the themes of social justice/inclusion, inequality, and sustainability; clarity and feasibility of research plan; and potential for students to hone effective research skills and knowledge. 
    • Submit proposals via this form. 

If you have any questions, please contact  Shannon Landis, Center Administrator (ciss@bu.edu).

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