SSI College Level
The College of Sciences and Engineering (CSE) and the Center for Research Excellence is pleased to host USC Aiken’s annual Summer Scholars Institute (SSI) in support of student-faculty summer research. Funding for this program is provided by ADP, SC INBRE, DOE-WORC, and the College of Sciences and Engineering. We invite interested CSE faculty to apply.
Program Overview:
- SSI is open to USCA undergraduates in STEM disciplines.
- Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.8.
- Each student must be mentored by a USCA faculty member.
- Mentors should provide a 1-2 page proposal of research that incorporates an undergraduate. This proposal should include a mentoring plan that explains sustained and purposeful interactions during the summer months.
- Student salary/stipend: $3,000 total (salary and fringe); Faculty salary: $5,000 total (salary and fringe). Funds may only be used for salaries/stipends. Mentors must have the equipment/supplies to conduct the proposed research. Students with ongoing summer funding (e.g., Magellan, INBRE) may be incorporated into the research proposal. See below for specific proposal guidelines.
- Students and faculty are expected to attend weekly professional development workshops.
- Students will present the results of their work as a poster at the SSI Research Symposium.
- Proposals are due by 5 p.m., Friday, March 28, 2025. Recipients will be notified during the first week of April.
- Applications must be completed by the faculty member.
Proposal Requirements
- Include the project title centered at the top of the first page. Under title: student’s full name, major, mentor’s name, and department.
- Proposal Page Limitations: May not exceed two (2) single-spaced pages. References may be on an additional page and are not included in the page limit.
- Format: Use a readable font (Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, etc.) and a font size of 11 points or larger with 0.5-inch margin (top, bottom, left, and right).
- A clear, concise description of the proposed project, which includes the following required sections. The following order is suggested but may be altered for narrative flow:
- Research question (OR Research statement)
- Project description
- Project impact on the student (how will the student be incorporated into the proposed work)
- A timeline of the proposed work that fits within the 10-week SSI funding period
- A mentoring plan describing how the faculty mentor will have sustained and purposeful interactions with the student during the research period.
- If applicable, explain how the proposed research supports the mission of the Department of Energy.
- If applicable, indicate that the proposed work has the required approvals (e.g., IBC, IRB, IACUC)
- References cited (OR Works cited, Bibliography, etc.) (Not included in page limit; can be an extra page)
Requirements for Recipients
- Either the faculty mentor or the student must attend the weekly meetings scheduled by the Center for Research Excellence. Excused absences may be granted with prior approval of the Center for Research Excellence.
- Funds for SSI are only to be used for salary/stipend. Faculty mentors are expected to have equipment and supplies to conduct the research proposed. Funds from SSI may not be used for equipment/supplies purchases.
- At the end of the summer, there will be a special poster session. All student researchers are required to present their SSI funded research at this poster session.
For research projects involving vertebrate animals
USCA is required by the federal government to follow strict guidelines when vertebrate animals are involved in research projects. Such projects require approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
- Faculty must have an approved IACUC protocol before beginning work on the project.
- NOTE: Projects involving animals must maintain compliance with regulations at all times or funding will be revoked.
- For more information, mentors may contact the Chair of the USC Aiken IACUC: Dr. April DeLaurier ([email protected]).
For research projects involving human participants
USCA is required by the federal government to follow strict guidelines when human subjects are involved in research projects requiring Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Human subject research INCLUDES studies that use:
- data collected through interventions, interactions, or observations with human participants (e.g., surveys, interviews, testing, or observational procedures); and/or
- existing data sets containing any personal information (e.g., medical records, educational records, voting records).
- Faculty must have an approved IRB protocol before beginning work on the project.
- For more information and applications: http://orc.research.sc.edu/humansubject.shtml
- For Human Subject FAQs: http://orc.research.sc.edu/hs_faq.shtml
- For ALL Human subjects questions: contact the USC Office of Research Compliance (http://orc.research.sc.edu/contact.shtml; 803-777-7095)
- Projects involving human subjects must maintain compliance with regulations at all times.
For research projects involving potentially biohazardous materials
USCA is required by the federal government to follow strict guidelines when potentially biohazardous materials are used in the laboratory. Use of these materials is governed by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
- Faculty must have an approved IBC protocol before beginning work on the project.
- NOTE: Projects involving biohazardous materials must maintain compliance with regulations at all times or funding will be revoked.
- For more information, mentors may contact the USC Aiken IBC representative: Dr. William Jackson ([email protected]).