Program Overview
The SHARE Virtual Research Apprenticeship program provides early career undergraduates majoring in social sciences, humanities, and arts fields with an opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor on a research project over the summer. These meaningful learning experiences allow students to develop foundational research skills that they can build on as they progress through their academic career, as well as to establish mentoring relationships with faculty in their discipline.
Research apprentices commit to working on a faculty mentor’s project over the course of the summer, with project weeks and hours per week to be determined by the faculty mentor. All project work will be conducted remotely. Research apprentices earn up to $1,400, paid as hourly wages, and faculty mentors receive a $500 professional development award in recognition of their mentorship. To earn the full $1,400 award, apprentices will need to work 92 hours over the course of the summer.
Examples of SHARE apprentice duties may include, but are not limited to: conducting literature reviews, assisting in designing a study or experiment, coding and/or analyzing data, and conducting and/or transcribing interviews.
Eligibility and Award Terms
Eligibility and Award Terms
To be eligible to apply, a student applicant must:
- Be majoring or pre-majoring in social sciences, humanities, or arts field at any UConn campus.
- Be a first-, second-, or third-year undergraduate student.
- Be in good academic standing at the time of application and remain in good academic standing while participating in the program.
- Be eligible for on-campus employment. International students interested in the SHARE program should consult with the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) Office for information on their eligibility for employment on-campus.
You do not need prior research experience to apply for a SHARE apprenticeship. This program prioritizes early career students with little or no prior research experience. Students from underrepresented backgrounds, 1st generation students, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply.
The goal of this program is to foster new student-faculty connections. As part of the award conditions, faculty mentors are asked to select a student they are not currently working with and/or have not previously worked with in a research capacity.
Students are only eligible to participate in the SHARE Apprenticeship Program once during their time at UConn. Students who have held a SHARE apprenticeship in a previous summer cannot apply for a second apprenticeship. In addition, students are limited to one SHARE apprenticeship in a summer. Students selected for multiple apprenticeships will be asked to choose which apprenticeship they want to accept.
Award Terms:
- Apprentices will earn up to $1,400, paid as hourly wages, for work on the SHARE project. Apprentices will be paid on a bi-weekly basis through normal payroll procedures. To earn the full $1,400 award, apprentices will need to work 92 hours over the course of the summer.
- Apprentices agree to complete a reflection at the start of the apprenticeship and at mid-point, and to submit an end-of-summer reflection to the Office of Undergraduate Research at the conclusion of the apprenticeship.
- Apprentices agree to present at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition the fall or spring following the apprenticeship.
Dates & Deadlines
Dates & Deadlines
Summer 2024 apprenticeship descriptions will be posted on the SHARE Virtual Summer Apprenticeship program website and applications will open to students in early March 2024.
The application deadline is Friday, March 22, 2024. Application reviews will begin after the application deadline.
Faculty may choose to interview select candidates before making decisions. Faculty submit their apprentice selections to the OUR. OUR will extend offers to applicants. Applicants who are not selected will be notified of their application status once the apprenticeship has been filled.
Apprentices will coordinate their summer apprenticeship start date and schedule with faculty mentors. Project work can begin once the spring semester has ended (no earlier than Monday, May 6, 2024). SHARE apprenticeships must be completed before the fall semester begins (no later than Friday, August 23, 2024).
Apprentices will complete reflections at the start of the apprenticeship, at mid-point, and at the conclusion of the apprenticeship. SHARE apprentices will also present at the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition in the fall or spring following the apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship Descriptions
Apprenticeship Descriptions
Please check back in March 2024 for summer 2024 opportunities.
For reference purposes, the summer 2021, summer 2022, and summer 2023 SHARE Virtual Research Apprenticeship descriptions are available on the SHARE Summer Apprenticeship opportunity archive.
Preparing an Application
Preparing an Application
Applications are submitted via the Quest Portal link found in each position description.
There is a standard set of application questions that all applicants will be required to answer. Click here (coming soon) to view an outline of the application questions. Faculty may also elect to add an additional question specific to their apprenticeship. If there are additional questions, they will be noted in the apprenticeship descriptions.
Please make sure to review the program eligibility requirements prior to applying. Applications from students who do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered.
FAQs
FAQs
I'm minoring in a social sciences, humanities, or arts field, am I still eligible to apply?
Can I take summer classes or hold a job/internship while completing the research apprenticeship?
I participated in SHARE last summer; can I apply again this summer?
I'm interested in multiple SHARE apprenticeships. Can I work with more than one mentor in the summer?
How many hours will I be expected to work each week?
Can I keep working on the project after the summer?
I'm already working with a faculty mentor in a social science, humanities, or arts discipline; can I apply for this to fund my summer research with my faculty mentor?
Who should I contact with questions about the SHARE Virtual Summer Apprenticeships?
I'm minoring in a social sciences, humanities, or arts field, am I still eligible to apply?
No, eligibility does not extend to students who are minoring in a social sciences, humanities, or arts field; you must be majoring or pre-majoring in an eligible field.
Can I take summer classes or hold a job/internship while completing the research apprenticeship?
The apprenticeship can leave room for students to engage in other activities over the summer. Applicants are encouraged to review the time commitment and work week preferences indicated by the faculty mentor in their position description to assure the other commitments will not conflict with the apprenticeship. Before accepting an apprenticeship, students are encouraged to discuss any prior commitments with faculty mentors to assure there are no conflicts.
I participated in SHARE last summer; can I apply again this summer?
You are only eligible to participate in the SHARE Apprenticeship Program once during your time at UConn. If you have held a SHARE apprenticeship in a previous summer, you are not eligible to apply for another SHARE apprenticeship.
I'm interested in multiple SHARE apprenticeships. Can I work with more than one mentor in the summer?
You can apply for as many apprenticeships as you are interested in. Students are limited to one SHARE apprenticeship in a summer. If selected for multiple apprenticeships, you will be asked to choose which apprenticeship to accept.
How many hours will I be expected to work each week?
To earn the full $1,400 award, apprentices will need to work 92 hours over the course of the summer. The apprenticeship hours per week will vary based on the needs and preferences of the faculty mentor. Applicants are encouraged to review the time commitment and work week preferences indicated by the faculty mentor in their position description to assure their other commitments will not conflict with the apprenticeship. Before accepting an apprenticeship, students are encouraged to discuss any prior commitments with faculty mentors to assure there are no conflicts.
Can I keep working on the project after the summer?
Once the SHARE apprenticeship is complete, it will be at the discretion of the faculty mentor to determine if there are opportunities for the student to continue assisting with the project. We hope that these apprenticeships grow into longer-term engagement in research, whether it be through students continuing to work with their faculty mentor on the mentor's research or through students pursing their own research projects.
I'm already working with a faculty mentor in a social science, humanities, or arts discipline; can I apply for this to fund my summer research with my faculty mentor?
The goal of this program is to foster new student-faculty connections and to provide students with little or no prior research experience an opportunity to get valuable exposure to the research process. As part of the award conditions, faculty mentors are asked to select a student they are not currently working with and/or have not previously worked with in a research capacity.
Who should I contact with questions about the SHARE Virtual Summer Apprenticeships?
Questions about the SHARE Virtual Summer Apprenticeships should be directed to Melissa Berkey (melissa.berkey@uconn.edu) in the Office of Undergraduate Research.