Deans' Summer Research Fellowships

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Overview

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: We are awaiting a decision by Duke University regarding programs and funding for Summer 2021. We expect to have more information about how this decision will effect the guidelines for the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship by February 1. The DSRF application will open February 1.

The Academic Deans of Trinity College take pleasure in awarding the Deans' Summer Fellowships Programs support of undergraduate research and inquiry in the arts and sciences. The goals of the Deans' Summer Fellowship Program are to strengthen undergraduate research opportunities for undergraduates, to enlarge the scope of undergraduate research conducted on and off campus during the summer, and to provide support to enable undergraduates to extend the period over which they engage in research. A maximum of $3000 will be awarded. Since expenses for research can vary according to field, project, and duration of the project, it is acceptable for students to apply to other funding sources as well as the Deans Summer Research Fellowship, but they will be expected to list all grants to which they are applying. On occasion, we are willing to collaborate with other offices to meet, but not exceed, a student’s budget needs.Note that fellowships are reportable income by IRS rules. Taxes are not allowable budget line items. See: http://finance.duke.edu/payroll/noncomp

Deans' Summer Research Fellowships can support faculty-mentored research in any discipline in the humanities, social sciences and STEM fields and is open to currently enrolled Duke Students. Preference is given to students whose research is directly related to their senior thesis projects. Those students looking for arts funding should apply to the Benenson Award in the Arts.

See the Deans' Summer Research Fellows from: 2020 2019 2018 2015 2014 2013 2012

Application Information

Eligibility and Criteria

In all cases, Deans' Summer Fellowship projects must be directed by a member of the Duke University faculty and conducted over a period of no less than three weeks during the summer months. Fellowship recipients are expected to be in frequent contact with their advisors over the summer. Students may not be enrolled in courses during the period they designate as their fellowship period.

With the exception of graduating seniors, all undergraduates in Trinity College are eligible to apply for a Deans' Summer Research Fellowship. Pratt students pursuing a second major in Trinity may also apply in support of on-campus projects related to their second major with A&S faculty. Mentors for Trinity students may be faculty in any Duke school or department. In the case of limited awards, Trinity students will receive priority for funding.

Deans' Summer Research Fellowships will support expenses associated with a summer research project of at least three consecutive weeks in duration. Reasonable expenses include research-related domestic or international travel and living expenses; room and board in Durham in order for students to take advantage of an unpaid research opportunity; and fees associated with archives, lab equipment, etc. The maximum award is $3000. Students may not use these funds as stipend or salary.

Projects involving interactions with human subjects, either in-person or online, may need approval from the Duke Institutional Review Board. Read more…

Projects conducted internationally are subject to restrictions and guidelines for the safe conduct of research abroad. Read more…

DSRF Applications

The Deans' Summer Research Fellowship application consists of the following sections, to be completed online:

Student Information: Include any leading zeros in your Duke Unique ID.
Faculty Information: Name, email address, and department of your Duke faculty mentor. Your mentor will need to submit a letter of recommendation separately. See below for more information.
Project Information: Short project title, abstract (single paragraph of no more than 250 words), dates, location, special considerations
Project Proposal: A narrative of no more than 3 pages organized into:
- Background and General aims/long term objectives - What is the overall goal of this research? What are the 'big questions' in your discipline that you expect to address? How does your proposed research relate to the work of others in this field?
- Specific aims/short term objectives and Methods - What are the specific research questions that you will ask this summer, and what methods will you use to address them?
- References cited.
Budget:
Total amount requested, and itemized anticipated expenses. Also list any other sources and amount of funding you are seeking out for this project. You may combine funds from multiple sources to meet your total budget request.
Living expenses for a research project at Duke can be estimated at $254/wk for housing and $120/wk for food (based on Duke Summer Housing Information).
Human Subjects:
If your research includes human subjects, you will be asked to provide additional information for the IRB approval.
Health & Safety Plan:
If your research involves international travel, you must register with the Duke Travel Registry and supply information about possible health and safety risks.

You may cut & paste text into the online application from another document.

Mentor Recommendation Information

In addition to the application, you will need to provide a letter of recommendation from your Duke faculty research mentor to the URS Office. Mentor recommendations are due March 6.

An alert with additional information will be sent to your mentor via email when you have submitted your application. We prefer that mentors submit their recommendations in this way. However, letters of recommendation can be sent from your mentor to the URS office via email at ursoffice@duke.edu.

Application Preview

Application

Application Status: Closed

Fast Facts

Deadline:

Monday, March 1, 2021

Purpose:

project expenses or living expenses for mentored summer research projects

Eligibility:

Trinity College students, with the exception of graduating seniors. Pratt students with second major in Trinity.

Time frame:

Summer -- three weeks minimum duration

Funding:

Maximum of $3,000

Other Information:

Note that fellowships are reportable income by IRS rules. See: http://finance.duke.edu/payroll/noncomp

Undergraduate Research Support Office

Deans' Summer Research Fellowships

Content

Eligibility and Criteria

DSRF Applications

Mentor Recommendation Information

Fast Facts

Undergraduate Research Support Office

Mailing Address

Getting Started

Other Links

Stay Connected

Deans' Summer Research Fellowships

Content

Eligibility and Criteria

DSRF Applications

Mentor Recommendation Information

Fast Facts

Undergraduate Research Support Office

Mailing Address

Getting Started

Other Links

Stay Connected

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