TruScholars Undergraduate Research Program
The purpose of the TruScholars program is to foster collaborative faculty-student research to enhance student learning and promote a culture of research, scholarship, and creative activities at Truman. Projects supported by this program should exhibit the potential for scholarly publication, presentation at a regional or national conference, public performance or a gallery exhibit. Up to 14 students will be supported as TruScholars in 2018.
The formal part of the 2018 TruScholars program will coincide with the eight-week Summer Semester, June 5-July 28, 2017. During this time, students should devote full-time effort to their project and faculty mentors should be continuously available for consultation and collaboration.
To be eligible, students must have completed their freshman year by the May preceding participation in the program. Eligible students must plan to graduate no sooner than the Fall semester following participation in the program. Eligible students must be in good academic standing. Eligible students must be full-time, active students registered for 12 credit hours during the Fall semester following participation in the program. Faculty and students must be able to attend all of the mandatory TruScholars program activities (see below).
- Friday, April 20, 2018, 5-7 pm: Orientation Meeting & Dinner, SUB Georgian C
- Attendance at least two of three workshops (all 11:30 am – 1 pm):
- Friday, June 8, 2018: Applying to Graduate School, SUB Alumni 2105
- Tuesday, June 19, 2018: Disseminating Your Work, SUB Alumni 2105
- Wednesday, July 11, 2018: How to Give a Professional Presentation, SUB Alumni 2105
- Saturday, August 25, 2018 (all day): TruScholars Research Symposium and Luncheon – Students make oral presentations about the results of their projects to a general audience. We will all celebrate accomplishments of the projects at lunch.
Other non-mandatory program activities may include weekly brown-bag lunches, colloquia, workshops, and community-building activities; these optional activities will be open to all Truman students engaged in research during the summer.
Selection Criteria
Applications are due by 11:59 PM on February 9, 2018 and will be reviewed by the Office of Student Research Steering Committee. Students and mentors will be informed of the success of their application by February 23, 2018 and a contract for acceptance of a TruScholars position will need to be signed by March 23, 2018. Applications will be ranked according to quality on each of the following criteria (not necessarily in the following order):
- Overall quality of the project description, including how well the goals, rationale, and research plan are articulated.
- The potential of the project to provide educational value to the student and/or new insights into the discipline.
- The suitability and preparation of the student for the project.
- The demonstrated ability of the faculty member to successfully mentor undergraduate research/scholarship projects.
- Availability of the mentor to the student during the TruScholars Program period.