The BSOS Summer Scholars program supports undergraduate students doing independent research projects with faculty in the summer. Recipients will gain a competitive edge when applying for graduate study, national scholarships, and other awards. Students may expand their research into an independent study or Honors thesis during the following fall semester. Support may not be used for study abroad programs. The program is modeled after, but separate from, the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) Student Proposed Innovation and Research Experience (SPIRE). Students may apply for both opportunities but may only accept one. Additionally, students will be expected to deliver a "product" to the Dean's Office at the completion of the summer; this can be a final report, presentation, conference proposal, or other document that might be developed during the course of the research project.
There will be a maximum of six awards of $3,000 each. Applications must include the following:
an unofficial copy of the student's transcript and any other evidence of the student's scholarly accomplishments;
a one-page personal statement from the student about their long-term professional/intellectual goals, how this fellowship and research project would advance those goals; and
a letter of recommendation from a BSOS faculty member addressing the merit of the proposed summer research, the student's qualifications to undertake the project, and a mentoring plan. The letter (or email) of recommendation should be sent to bsosresearch@umd.edu by Monday, February 24 at 5pm with the subject line "BSOS Summer Scholars - [Scholar Name]".
Students and their mentors are responsible for ensuring that the three parts of the application are complete and submitted by Monday, February 24 at 5pm. The Faculty member must have an appointment in a BSOS department or center and the student must be a BSOS major.
