Description: This apprenticeship allows honors students to learn what research is and how it is conducted within a discipline by participating in actual, cutting-edge research, under the mentorship of a faculty member. Students may also consider the campus-wide Sophomore Research Fellowship as an alternative opportunity for more student-led research projects done in collaboration with UW-Madison faculty or research/instructional academic staff.
Purpose: It is a significant opportunity to develop research skills and explore the research process. It can also lay the groundwork for possible future junior and senior year research projects, should a student want to continue with research.
Award: Students receive a $2500 stipend for what would otherwise be an unpaid research experience.
Eligibility:
- A second-year student in the L&S Honors Program, or
- A first-year student in the L&S Honors Program who will have more than 24 credits after May of the current academic year
Requirements:
- Total hours: the equivalent of approximately 20 hours per week, for 8-10 weeks of the summer. You and your faculty advisor are free to arrange any mutually convenient schedule for the work, provided that all work is completed before the fall academic term commences.
- One-day retreat: In mid-late July, all grant recipients attend a one-day retreat, where they will present their research to fellow apprentices and UW faculty. (In most cases the research will not be completed by the date of the retreat, so the retreat presentations can be on the progress of the research to that point.)
Finding a Faculty Mentor:
- We recommend looking over our information on research involvement which provides structure for how to begin looking for opportunities
- Consider what subjects interest you, and what current research intrigues you!
- Think broadly about the many different departments and schools at UW-Madison, then check out faculty pages in these areas to read more about the research they are conducting
- Schedule a meeting or visit a professor during office hours; even if a professor cannot be your mentor, they may be able to direct you to a colleague with similar interests
Application information:
Deadline: TBD, likely late February 2024.
Information sessions:
- TBD
*While attending an information session is not required, it can be helpful for learning more about this opportunity and a chance to get your questions answered
- Once you have found a mentor, match to the scholarship in the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH). Both you and your faculty mentor must fill out portions of the application and discuss what role you will play in their research. Enter your mentor’s information into WiSH as soon as possible, so they have plenty of time to work on their portion of the application. All parts of the application are due by the deadline.
- Submit your application through wisc.academicworks.com
- Applicants can plan to hear whether they have been awarded a grant by the end of March.
- If you have additional questions about the grant, please contact the L&S Honors Program at honors@honors.ls.wisc.edu.