 Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Research Experience (SHARE) Awards
The SHARE program supports undergraduate research projects in the social sciences, humanities, and arts. SHARE is designed especially for students in the earlier stages of their college careers to introduce them to research in their chosen field and give them the skills they will need for further research projects.
In this research apprenticeship, students spend 10 hours per week during the spring semester working on a faculty project. Ideally, the SHARE partnership will continue past the spring semester, allowing both the faculty mentor and student apprentice to continue the project, potentially leading to a more independent role for the student or a thesis project.
Examples of SHARE apprentice duties may include, but are not limited to: conducting library research, assisting in experiments, coding and/or analyzing data, and conducting and/or transcribing interviews.
NOTE: There is a special sub-set of SHARE awards for faculty and students that use Roper Center for Public Opinion Research Data archives for their project. The RARE (Roper Award for Research Experience) awards have a November 30th deadline.
Funding
During the Spring semester, student apprentices will receive a $1500 stipend, and faculty mentors will receive a $500 professional development stipend.
SHARE Teams
SHARE teams consist of a faculty mentor and a student apprentice who apply jointly for the program.
Faculty members are encouraged to recruit student apprentices to work with them on a potential SHARE project, and students interested in the program may also approach faculty members to express their interest in a potential project.
2012 SHARE Award Recipients
2011 SHARE Award Recipients
Applications for 2013 Student and Faculty SHARE Applications will open August 30, 2012
Eligibility
Student apprentices:
- Must be majoring or pre-majoring in the social sciences, humanities, or arts at any UConn campus
- Must be a first-, second-, or third-year undergraduate student
- Must have a minimum 2.8 GPA
- May receive only one SHARE award during their years at UConn
Faculty mentors:
- Must be a full-time faculty member in the social sciences, humanities, or arts at any UConn campus
- Faculty members may submit one SHARE application per application cycle
- Faculty members may reapply in subsequent years with the same or different projects
Program Details:
- Funded projects will start in the spring semester
- Students agree to devote 10 hours/week to the project for 14 weeks during the semester
- Students receive a $1500 stipend
- Faculty members receive a $500 professional development stipend at the start of the semester
- SHARE award recipients must present at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition in the spring (during funded semester or the following year)
FAQ
Info for Students
First-, second-, and third-year students interested in getting involved in research are encouraged to participate in the SHARE program to gain the experience and knowledge necessary to continue research in their discipline.
Because you will be paired with a faculty member on his/her research project, you'll benefit from close interaction and a mentoring relationship with an expert in your field. You'll develop as a scholar as you gain first-hand experience with practical application of concepts learned in classes. During the funded semester, you will be expected to commit 10 hours per week for the 14 weeks of the semester, and you will receive a $1500 award.
Students are encouraged to continue their work on the SHARE project with their faculty mentor in subsequent semesters through independent study or research credits. The SHARE project experience can also provide a foundation for independent research leading to the completion of an Honors thesis or capstone project.
How can a student find a faculty mentor to work with?
Students interested in the SHARE program are encouraged to approach faculty members in their departments or related fields to express interest in partnering on a SHARE project. If you have ideas for a potential research project, familiarize yourself with the faculty research going on in your department and related fields to find faculty members with research interests similar to yours. Be sure to set up an appointment or stop by office hours to talk to the faculty member in person. Once you have a faculty mentor, you will submit a joint application to the OUR.
Can a student apprentice get course credit for working on a SHARE project?
Under certain circumstances, it may be possible to earn credit for work associated with the SHARE project. The availability of credit will ultimately be determined by the department, and you are encouraged to discuss the possibility with your faculty mentor. In order to earn course credit through an independent study or research course, you will be required to complete additional work outside of the 10 hours/week devoted to the SHARE program.
The supplemental work should be of an academic nature and might include writing a final paper about your findings or experience during the SHARE work, contributing to a paper or article with your faculty mentor, or another assignment at the faculty mentor’s discretion.
Can I continue working on the SHARE project after the funded semester?
Yes! Students and faculty mentors are encouraged to continue working on the SHARE project past the funded semester. Express your interest in continuing your work on the project with your faculty mentor at the beginning of the project, to start considering different options. You may also opt to continue your research on an independent project, perhaps leading to the completion of an Honors thesis or capstone project.
What are the student apprentice’s responsibilities during the SHARE project?
As a student apprentice, you are responsible for fulfilling all the terms of the SHARE program, including:
- Devoting at least 10 hours/week to the SHARE project for the 14 week Spring semester
- Working directly with your faculty mentor, including meeting regularly, completing assigned tasks, and adhering to any additional requirements set out in the project agreement
- Submitting an OUR Research completion form to the OUR at the end of the SHARE semester
- Presenting a poster at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition in the spring semester (either your SHARE semester, or the following year)
Info for Faculty
The research apprenticeship opportunity offered by the SHARE program provides faculty members with eager assistants for faculty-driven projects, allowing faculty members to focus on their own research interests while introducing future researchers to the reality of research in their intended discipline. There is also a potential to continue the student’s involvement with the project past the tenure of the SHARE program, through independent study or research credits.
Faculty mentors will benefit from the assistance of the research apprentice, who will be able to provide support for the faculty mentor with aspects of a project including, but not limited to: library research, assisting in experiments, coding and/or analyzing data, and conducting and/or transcribing interviews. For their commitment to mentoring the student apprentice, faculty mentors will receive a $500 professional development stipend at the start of the semester.
Adding course credit
Under certain circumstances, it may be possible for student apprentices to earn course credit for work associated with the SHARE project. In order to earn course credit through an independent study or research course, the student apprentice will be required to complete additional work outside of the 10 hours/week devoted to the SHARE program. The supplemental work should be of an academic nature and might include writing a final paper about the findings or experience during the SHARE work, contributing to a paper or article with the faculty mentor, or another assignment at the faculty mentor’s discretion.
What are the faculty mentor’s responsibilities during the SHARE project?
Faculty mentors will serves as “master researchers” to the student apprentices, exposing the students to research methods in their field. As such, faculty mentors agree to:
- Directly mentor their student apprentice, including regular face-to-face meetings to discuss the project
- Provide oversight and feedback for the student on his/her work throughout the project
- Provide sufficient tasks and duties for the student apprentice to fulfill the required 10 hours/week devoted to the SHARE project
- Complete the student apprentice assessment form at the end of the semester to offer feedback on the student’s performance and contribution to the project
- Make sure students are paid their stipend, either as an hourly wage or a lump award.
How much funding does the SHARE program provide?
During the SHARE semester, student apprentices will receive a $1500 stipend, and faculty mentors will receive a $500 professional development stipend. Once a faculty/student team is selected for an award, we will transfer the award funds for BOTH the faculty and student into an account designated by the faculty member. The Faculty member is responsible for making sure their student is paid through their department, either via hourly wage or grant disbursement.
What is the application and review process for SHARE?
For spring 2012 SHARE projects, both the student and faculty portions of the application must be submitted online to the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) before 9pm, Monday, October 31, 2011. Applications will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary faculty committee and applicants will be notified about their acceptance by December 2, 2011.
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