UR-STEM - Faculty: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Undergraduate Research in STEM (UR-STEM)

This program requests proposals to fund UR-STEM students in research projects either underway, or new projects appropriate for novice students. Many faculty members have had success adding a UR-STEM student to their existing research team. Students that participate in the UR STEM program have been retained at significantly higher levels than those who do not participate, with greater than 94% retained in a STEM major and greater than 98% retained to the University (2017-2021 data).

2023 Instructions & Deadlines

January 23rd - Deadline to complete and submit the online RFP and Supply Request Form

The remaining milestones below pertain to selecting students for Undergraduate Research. Each milestone references a step from the Student Selection Process (SSP) dropdown. Please review the Student Selection Process for detailed instructions.

February 1st - February 28th - Student application window. Students interested in participating in the faculty's research will apply online from the student Undergraduate Research webpage.

March 17th - Participating faculty will be provided with the list of all eligible applicants (see SSP #1-3)

April 4th - Deadline for faculty to identify student(s) with whom they wish to work (see SSP #4)

April 10th - CINSAM will send the list of approved students to faculty.

April 14th - Faculty will notify student(s) of their offer with instructions to indicate their commitment. (see SSP #5)

April 21st - Students must commit by completing a contract with the research advisor.

April 28th - Faculty must ensure that students have completed the hiring process with CINSAM by this date. Failure to do so may result in a delayed start and pay date. (See the Student Hiring Process dropdown.)

May 8th - First possible start date for student research

UR-STEM Process & Information

FUNDING

CINSAM will award faculty a $500 stipend for mentoring UR-STEM students over the summer.
CINSAM will fund select students to work over the summer in the following project categories:
- Part-time: $1,400 (20 hours/week for 8 weeks)
- Mini-project: $350 (10 hours/week for 4 weeks)
Limited research supplies are available for qualifying projects.

RFP SUBMISSION

The Request For Proposal (RFP) online application is typically released in December with a submission deadline in January.

A typical UR-STEM application schedule looks like the following (but is subject to change):

Date	Milestone
Early December	Faculty RFP online application is available
Late January	Deadline for faculty research project submissions (via online application)
February	Student online application is available
Mid March	Participating faculty provided with the list of all eligible applicants
Early April	Deadline for faculty to identify student(s) with whom they wish to work
Mid April	Students notified of the offer with instructions on indicating their commitment
Late April	Deadline for students to accept the offer/commitment

STUDENT SELECTION PROCESS

CINSAM's UR-STEM Selection Team will compile a list and rank all eligible student applicants expressing interest in the faculty member's research.
CINSAM will then provide the completed and ranked list to the participating faculty members.
Each faculty member will manage their own interview process, (selecting and interviewing students from the list provided).
Faculty member will identify those students with whom they wish to work, and will submit the student name(s) and projects to CINSAM and their Department Chair. The Chair, in conjunction with the UR-STEM Selection Team, will decide which students will be supported.
Upon CINSAM approval, faculty will notify selected students of the offer, with instructions on indicating their commitment. They must also determine hours to be worked by the student.
The selected students and faculty members will be required to complete a UR-STEM Research Contract. Said contract must be presented to CINSAM during the student's hiring meeting.

STUDENT HIRING PROCESS

Hiring Process

Once students have been identified, CINSAM's Budget & Administration Coordinator will contact each student to schedule a hiring meeting. Paid student researchers must be hired as NKU student employees, which includes a background check by NKU Human Resources.
- Students that have worked for NKU (excluding Chartwells and the Bookstore) within one (1) year of their research start date will require minimal paperwork since their information is already on file.

Funds are administered in the form of a research stipend, allowing flexibility in scheduling of hours.

CONTACT US

For more information about undergraduate research, please contact us at stem@nku.edu.

Portions of this material are based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under award number NSF DUE STEP-0969280.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

UR-STEM - FACULTY

2023 Instructions & Deadlines

UR-STEM Process & Information

Hiring Process

CONTACT US