Description: Funded by grants from the Brittingham Wisconsin Trust and the Kemper K. Knapp Bequest, the Apprenticeship allows Honors students the opportunity 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.
Purpose: This Honors Summer Apprenticeship grant provides 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: Standard award of $3000.
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: We expect approximately 20 hours of research-related activity per week, for 8-10 weeks of the summer, leading to roughly 200 hours total. You and your faculty mentor(s) 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 student grant recipients must 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 students schedule an appointment with Associate Director Pete Keys
- Review the information on the “Getting Involved in Research” Honors webpage.
Application information:
Your application will require the following components:
- Project Proposal of no more than four double-spaced pages with at least 1 inch margins, and no smaller than 11pt font. References are not included in this page total. Each of the components listed below should be clearly outlined in the proposal. Students should collaborate with their mentor(s) to create and submit one PDF that contains the following:
- Project title
- Project Objective/Abstract
- This section should describe the overall research project within which the Apprenticeship will take place.
- This section can be drafted by the faculty member, but the student should be familiar with its details.
- Proposed duties of the student apprentice
- This section should describe in as much detail as possible the role the apprentice will play in the research. This may include their specific duties or tasks, the skills they will obtain/develop to enable them to assist with the research, and a general outline of the apprentice’s planned experience over the course of the summer program.
- This section should be drafted jointly by the faculty member and the student.
- Proposed meeting schedule/plan
- The apprentice and faculty advisor should anticipate meeting regularly to discuss the experience and future directions of the work being done. By communicating a plan for these meetings in advance, it is our hope that these meetings can be more easily facilitated.
- Mentor Engagement
- The proposal should emphasize the extent to which the mentor plans to be involved in the research work taking place. Beyond identifying a proposed schedule in the previous section, share some of the specific roles the mentor will take.
- You may consider the following:
- How will roles and expectations be established at the beginning of the project to ensure clarity?
- Will there be opportunities for the student to interact with other researchers, lab members, or collaborators?
- What mechanisms will be in place for the student to ask for guidance when needed?
- How will the mentor help the student improve critical thinking, problem-solving, or independent research skills?
- What steps will be taken to ensure that the student gains a deeper understanding of the broader field of study?
- How will the mentor guide the student in academic or professional writing (e.g., literature reviews, research reports, grant writing)?
- What strategies will the mentor use to challenge the student while providing necessary support?
- Will there be opportunities for the student to present their findings or gain experience in public speaking?
- How will the mentor help the student navigate challenges or unexpected obstacles in the research process?
- What role will the mentor play in fostering the student’s independence and confidence in conducting research?
- Personal statement (no more than 500 words)
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- Student applicants should write a personal statement identifying what they hope to gain from an apprenticeship experience.
- Students may also consider the inclusion of a brief statement about their financial circumstances and the benefit/opportunity the award may provide. While the apprenticeship is not awarded based on need, this information can help us find additional funds to support more students.
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- An unofficial UW-Madison transcript (For instructions on how to access your unofficial transcript, go to request unofficial transcript).
- A recommendation letter* from the project advisor. This is done through the application within WiSH. Students should enter their mentor’s name and email address as soon as they begin drafting an application. This action will notify the mentor that a letter of recommendation is required. The letter and application must both be submitted by the deadline for full consideration.
*Note: The letter of recommendation is an opportunity for the mentor to share more about your anticipated role throughout the summer. In many cases, you may not have worked with your mentor. Therefore, there is no expectation that they complete a traditional recommendation letter and it will not be evaluated as such. If students are also applying to the Sophomore Research Fellowship, we encourage students to elect to use their Fellowship letter of recommendation for the Apprenticeship.
Evaluation Criteria
- Academic record (including GPA)
- Progress towards completing your Honors degree(s)
- Quality of the proposal
- Strength of personal statement
Note: Applicant information may be shared between the L&S Honors Program and the Undergraduate Academic Awards Office in an attempt to maximize funding opportunities for as many qualified students as possible. This collaborative practice supports the mission of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the principles of the Wisconsin Experience.
Considerations and Restrictions:
- 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.
- If interested in both the Honors Apprenticeship and Sophomore Fellowship, you must apply to each opportunity through the WiSH portal, and we encourage students to consider selecting the academic year for the funding term for the Sophomore Fellowship. The L&S Honors Program will communicate with the Undergraduate Academic Awards office to determine awardees when students apply for summer funding for both the Honors Apprenticeship and Sophomore Fellowship.
- If you are awarded and accept a Summer Research Apprenticeship you may not accept funding from other sources for the same research project during the same time period.
- Students may not receive funding more than once for research work related to the same topic. Please contact Associate Director Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu) prior to applying if you have already received an Honors Apprenticeship.
Deadline: The application will close at 11:59 PM on Monday, February 24, 2025.
Information Sessions:
- There are no additional sessions. Please contact Pete Keys (pkeys@wisc.edu) for more information.
Application Instructions:
- The application will be available in WiSH. Please login with your UW credentials.
- 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.
- 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.