Research and Scholarship: Undergraduate Research

102 Roudebush Hall • Phone: 513-529-3600• Fax: 513-529-3762

DUOS Program Overview

The DUOS program aims to heighten the synergy between graduate and undergraduate research at Miami University. The undergraduate student and graduate student will work together on a research project under the supervision of a faculty member in a Ph.D. granting department. Either the undergraduate or graduate student may initiate the application, but the undergraduate student is to have primary authorship of the project. DUOS Program is open to any undergraduate student and any post-master’s doctoral student in good standing who agree to abide by program requirements.

11 Awards Available (Selected awardees will be notified via email in late November)

The selection committee MAY provide funding for up to 11 awards. Each project may receive up to $1,000 total. Awardees should budget 75% of funds to be used in direct support of the research project. The remaining 25% of the funds ($250.) may be used for dissemination of research results (i.e. publication costs or for conference attendance. The award amount includes $100 per awardee for participation in the required mentor/mentee training (see section IV).

Application Deadline	5:00 p.m. Monday after mid term break
Download the previous year guidlines.	DUOS Guidelines and Application for 2012-13
How do I Apply?	Submission requires a two-step process:
	Step Fill out the DUOS application, get the required signatures. Scan the application into one single pdf file.
	Step 2 Email the pdf file version of your DUOS application to: Mrs. Vanessa Gordon in the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (OARS) in 102 Roudebush Hall.

Who can be my DUOS mentor?
You need an advanced (post-masters') grad student from one of Miami's doctoral departments: Botany, Chemistry,Geology, Microbiology, English (Rhetoric and Composition), Political Science, Gerontology, Psychology, Zoology, Educational Leadership. Ask faculty members whose work interests you if they can refer you to an appropriate grad student.

Program Features
* a focus on undergraduates learning the processes of research and scholarship under the supervision of graduate student mentors

* training for the graduate and undergraduate student about the expectations for their roles as mentor and mentee in a research partnership

* undergraduate student may earn independent study credit, if appropriate

Program Benefits

* adds a distinctive scholarly experience, shown to increase student intellectual maturity, to undergraduate education

* increases availability of graduate students as role models for undergraduate students

* enhances graduate student research programs by the participation of talented undergraduates

* enables doctoral students to enhance their skills as mentors of undergraduate scholars

* encourages both the graduate student and undergraduate student to become more reflective about their role and responsibilities in the apprentice/mentor relationship

* creates the basis for future job application materials documenting graduate students’ experiences/achievements in their role as research mentors

* publicly recognizes graduate students who are making an effort to enhance their performance as research mentors

* enhance the university community’s awareness and appreciation of the synergy between graduate and undergraduate programs

* clearly links scholarship and teaching at the University

* serves as a model program that other graduate schools may emulate

C. Award Distribution/ Proposal Evaluation Criteria
Dr. Gary A. Lorigan, Professor of Chemistry serves as chair of the DUOS and will convene a review panel for academic year 2012-2013. The program is highly competitive and was pleased to receive a record number (26) applications last year.

In developing its award recommendations, the review panel will consider the following:

readability/clarity of the proposal and its conformity to the required format
quality of experiences proposed by applications; including significance of the problem to be addressed, the clarity of linkage between problem and method/creative process, the feasibility of the project in terms of the partners’ skills, time, and budget, and educational value to the undergraduate student.
quality and appropriateness of the mentorship supervision and interactions proposed
distribution of awards across disciplinary areas
undergraduate student GPA (which must be 2.75 or higher)

II. ELIGIBILITY

A. Graduate Mentor Eligibility
The program is open to all Miami University full-time post-masters’ doctoral students. If the graduate student’s program does not offer a master’s, students must be in at least their second year of graduate study. Preference will be given to graduate students who can document prior research collaboration with a faculty member. Each graduate/ undergraduate pair should create an application as described below. A single graduate student can be listed as a prospective mentor on only one application. In addition, the graduate student’s faculty advisor must be willing to oversee the project as described in these guidelines.

To participate:
* a graduate student must be willing and able to provide appropriate supervision and mentorship of the undergraduate with whom she or he has elected to be paired.
* the graduate student’s faculty advisor must be willing to oversee the project as described below.

B. Undergraduate Student Eligibility
Application to the program is open to any Miami University undergraduate student who holds a minimum 2.75 GPA and is otherwise in good standing (not on probation, etc.). The student must also be willing to collaborate with the graduate student to complete the project and communicate the results of that work to the scholarly community. Undergraduate students can receive only one DUOS award at Miami University.

III. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Responsibility for a successful program will rest with the undergraduate student scholar and her or his graduate mentor.

A. Graduate and Undergraduate Roles and Responsibilities
1. Joint Applications: Graduate students will collaborate with specific undergraduate students in developing and submitting applications for the DUOS Scholar Partners program. Either graduates or undergraduates may initiate the application, but the undergraduate student is to have primary authorship of the project.

Graduate students should strive to provide a meaningful and appropriate undergraduate student experience. The graduate student should assist the undergraduate to develop a proposed project that qualifies as research or other creative endeavor that will add to the sum of human knowledge and contribute to the growth of the scholarly or creative capability of the undergraduate scholar. The program is not intended to support graduate student supervision of undergraduates who are doing menial tasks in service of the graduate student’s research project.

In preparing the application, the graduate student mentor should assist the undergraduate to generate a well-written proposal that can be understood by an educated person who is not a specialist in the field. The graduate student mentor and undergraduate scholar should jointly complete and then submit the application according the instructions in these guidelines..

2. Participation in collaborative scholarly project: If selected for an appointment, the undergraduate and graduate student partners are expected to work collaboratively to complete the project during spring semester (mid January – mid April) and to share the results with the scholarly community.

3. Invention Disclosure/Intellectual Property: Inventions and intellectual property developed during the research will be owned by Miami University. By signing below all participants agree they will NOT be entitled to any compensation or royalties for the intellectual property developed through this research. Disclosure of inventions and intellectual property must be made during the research process, using a Miami University Invention Disclosure form. Contact OARS 529-3600.

4. Participation in training for mentor-mentee relationships in a scholarly context: Each of two partners is required to participate in a training session covering expectations for their roles and responsibilities as collaborators in an apprentice/ mentor partnership. This training will be scheduled in early December following announcement of awards.

5. Presentation of the project: It is expected that the undergraduate and graduate students will produce a product (paper, oral presentation, poster, artwork, portfolio, model, etc.) as a result of their joint project. The undergraduate student and graduate mentor at the beginning of the student's participation should agree as to the purpose and form of this product. Undergraduate students will be expected to present this product, if appropriate, at the Undergraduate Research Poster Session planned for April 10, 2013. In addition, it is strongly encouraged that partners aim toward regional/national/international presentation/performance/dissemination of their work.

6. Project Final Report: A final report and summary is due in late April to OARS. If warranted, the graduate student may request a no cost extension of the funding end date. Send an email with a clear justification for requesting the extension to Vanessa Gordon by April 1, 2013. She will process the request with Dr. Gary Lorgian. Awardees may be asked to complete several questionnaires relating to their educational experiences and activities.

B. Faculty Advisor Roles and Responsibilities

The graduate student’s advisor must endorse the project (i.e., provide a statement concerning the quality of the proposed project, and certify the undergraduate’s authorship of the project and the capability of the graduate student to mentor the undergraduate) and be willing to oversee the project as described below:

1. Need to Comply with University and Federal Research Regulations: It is the responsibility of the graduate student’s faculty advisor to assure that all required regulatory committee approvals (human subjects, vertebrate animals, radioisotopes or recombinant DNA) are obtained prior to the start of the project.

2. Oversight of the Project/Travel Allowances: Each project may receive up to $1000 total. Seventy-five percent of the funds should be used in direct support of the project and 25% of the funds may be used for dissemination of research result. This award amount includes $100 per awardee after completing the mentor/mentee training.

This award is NOT scholarship for tuition or a cash award. It may NOT be used for entertainment. The graduate student’s faculty advisor will supervise spending from this account using standard university ordering and accounting procedures. All charges must be made against this allowance by end of the fiscal year (June 30). This allowance account will be cleared and closed by the University Accounting Office on June 30. The faculty advisor is responsible for any charges made to that account above the $1,000 allotted or after June 30.

3. Independent study credit, if appropriate: The faculty member may determine that it is appropriate for the undergraduate student to receive independent study credit for his/her conduct of the project. If so, the faculty member will serve as the instructor of record for that independent study.

IV. DETAILED PROGRAM SCHEDULE DATE(S) DEADLINE or SCHEDULED EVENT
August 1 Announcement and Program Guidelines and Application posted to web www.muohio.edu/undergradresearch See DUOS link

Sep – mid Oct Graduate and Undergraduate students arrange appropriate collaborations and complete joint graduate/ undergraduate application

October 15 (5:00 p.m.) DUOS application submission Deadline: DUOS applications must be submitted via email. Send a single pdf file of the signed application and proposal to Mrs. Vanessa Gordon gordonvd@muohio.edu . Direct Question about the application to Vanessa at 529-3600 OARS 102 Roudebush

November, 2012 Review panel evaluates applications, selects awardees; OARS support staff notifies awardees

December, 2012 Awardees (Undergraduate and Graduate) attend training session on mentoring in a scholarly context

April 1, 2013 Deadline to submit a no cost extension to extend funding end date

April 10, 2013 Undergrads participate in the Undergraduate Research Forum

April, 30, 2013 Final report and evaluations due to OARS

June 30, 2013 DUOS accounts closed and cleared

Graduate Students - Tips on Becoming an Effective Mentor

Undergraduate Students - Tips for Working with a Mentor

Previous DUOS Award Listings