Meet the CRFs & Learn Why Research is Important to Them

Eligibility

• Grade Standing

  Sophomore or junior standing

• Minimum GPA

  Minimum GPA of 3.0

• Faculty Mentor

  Engaged in faculty mentored research/scholarship/creative activity

• CRF Application Workshop Attendance

  Must attend a CRF Application Workshop. Workshops will be held throughout winter quarter. No exceptions will be made for students who miss attending a workshop.

Application Requirements

• Online Application Process

  CRF applications will be accepted only via online application process. The application must be written by the student with guidance from his or her faculty mentor. Please note that the online application cannot be saved, thus students should plan to allocate time to complete the application once they have all of the required elements.

   CRF Application Submission Walk-Through

• Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation

  Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation: The letter of recommendation should acknowledge his/her commitment to mentoring the student throughout the proposed project period. Please take note that the faculty mentor will be notified to upload the letter of recommendation only after the student has submitted a complete application. It is highly encouraged that the student coordinate with the faculty mentor to ensure that the letter of recommendation is uploaded before the deadline.

• Completed Project Due Date

  All research or creative activity projects must be completed by June 30 within the academic year of the fellowship.

• Project Independence

  Although we expect that in many cases the proposed work will relate to the faculty mentor’s current research, CRF applicants must propose a project that is not already financially supported by another program or funding source. It is expected that CRF applicants propose an independent research or creative activity project. If directly related to the research of the faculty mentor, the CRF applicant will need to describe how he/she will be primarily responsible for the undertaking and reporting of the research.

Proposal must include the following items:

• Proposal Narrative that outlines the research or creative activity project and includes the following elements
  • Abstract (100-word limit): The abstract should be a brief summary of the proposal's key points written in the first person. It should provide information as to: What is being studied? Why is it important to study? How will it be studied?
  • Introduction/statement of goals (300-word limit): Say what you are doing—be specific. The reviewer(s) should know what you are proposing to do by the end of this section.
    • Creative Project Activity
      • Introduce the context and themes to be addressed or improved by the creative activity.
      • Describe the rationale for or purpose of the activity and its significance.
      • Include a discussion of the relevant context and themes for understanding the creative activity and prior achievements drawn from when designing the specific activity.
    • Research Project
      • Introduce issues, theories, or problem to be addressed or improved by your research.
      • Describe the rationale or purpose of the study/project.
      • Include a discussion of relevant literature and/or research that relates to the project, be sure to include full citations in the references section of the proposal.
  • Research Description (700-word limit) Follow Creative Context if this is to be a creative activity or a design project; Follow Research Methodology if this is to be a research project
    • Creative Context - Describe the methodology for completing your creative activity project. Describe your approach:
      • Identify and describe your approach, theory, literature, or industry practice that informed the process for crafting the creative activity or design project.
      • Describe the process that will be followed to create the project. This description should be written clearly and include essential steps.
      • Describe the end product of the creative work. Explain how a successful project will be determined.
      • Please include references.
    • Research Methodology - Describe the research methodology for your project. The methodology should be structured around a research question(s) or hypothesis. The methodology section must include a research question; provide clear research question(s) or hypothesis.
      • Describe the data sources and/or data collection procedures for the project. This section should be written very clearly and align to common practices for describing research methodology in the field of study.
      • Describe how data will be analyzed. This can range from interpretations of texts to transcribing and coding interviews for common themes to various types of statistical analyses. Be specific and provide clear information.
      • Please include references.
  • Potential Implications (150-word limit): Discuss the potential impact of this project to others in your field.
  • Implementation Timeline: Create a timeline of activities related to this project and how it will be undertaken throughout the year. Please include anticipated start date(s) and completion date(s) for all relevant activities (i.e., preparation, project development, analysis, writing reflection, creating presentation materials). The application will provide a form where you will detail your implementation timeline.  Please refer to the application presentation video that is provided to students who attend the Mandatory CRF Application Workshop for details on this section.  You should summarize your implementation timeline in your proposal to demonstrate your expected progress. 
• Budget and Budget Justification

  Awards of up to $5,750 will be provided for the academic year of the award, July 1 through June 30. Allowable expenses include $5,000 summer research stipend, and $750 to be disbursed to the faculty member's home department for the following items in priority order: travel to present research outcomes at a national conference; travel to conduct research; materials and supplies; and other expenses required to conduct the research.

  You are encouraged to discuss potential research costs with your proposed faculty mentor and department analyst before submitting your application. Please note that you will need the contact information of the department budget analyst to complete the application. In the budget justification you should provide an explanation, item-by-item, stating how you will spend the money requested and the relevance of the expenses in order to carry out the planned activities.

• References

  Fully cite all sources referenced in the project proposal. Please use the citation style that is used in your field of study. Examples would include the American Psychological Association (APA) style, 6th edition, the Chicago Manual of Style, Modern Languages Association, or Council of Biology Editors.

• Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation

  A letter of recommendation written by the faculty mentor is mandatory and will be submitted separately from the proposal. This letter should state that he or she approves the proposed project and will provide mentorship throughout the project. The letter should also address:

  • The strength of the proposed research or creative activity
  • Your (the student/applicant’s) preparedness to undertake the project
  • Confirmation that you will work full-time over the summer to earn the stipend

  Upon submission of the electronic application form, the Faculty Mentor will receive an email with instructions on how to submit the required letter of recommendation and also asked to review your submission. You are encouraged to coordinate with the letter writer to ensure that they are aware of the submission deadline and will be prepared to upload the letter as soon as you complete the application.

Review Process and Criteria

• Faculty Review Committee

  CRF applications will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary Faculty Review Committee. In addition to standard review criteria such as clarity, quality, and feasibility of the proposal, applications will be reviewed and evaluated on their strong research design or an innovative creative activity project. Other influential factors include a feasible timeline, a well-developed budget, and a letter of recommendation from your faculty mentor.

• Selected Fellows Expectations

  Selected Fellows will be expected to present their project at UCR’s Annual Symposium for Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity, scheduled in the spring quarter. So be sure to include this as one of your proposed activities.

• CRF Application Grading Breakdown

  CRF Applications will be graded with a maximum score of 100 points. The breakdown is as follows:

  • Career Goal Statement, Resume, Elevator Pitch, Abstract - 10pts
  • Introduction - 10 pts
  • Methodology - 30pts
    • Creative Activity:  Context/Themes
    • Research Project: Methodology/Procedures/Figures
  • Potential Implications - 10 pts
  • Implementation Timeline - 10pts
  • Budget - 10pts
  • References - 10 pts
  • Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation - 10 pts
  • Total Maximum Score - 100
• Research Elevator Pitch Tips
  • Video Upload Instructions
  • CRF Elevator Pitch Examples

  Please make sure to remove passcode on your elevator pitch recording. It is important that you set your recording link to be available to anyone with the link.

  • Tips and Guidelines

Here Are Some Ways You Can Get Involved in Research

• STEM Research
• Non-Science Research