Research and Creative Experience for Undergraduates

RCEU Program Description and General Overview

The overall goal of the RCEU program is to sustain a vibrant culture of research and creative activities for undergraduates at UAH by introducing students to, and financially supporting, hands-on research and creative experiences across all fields of study. Students receive a stipend to participate with mentors in research or creative projects for the 10 weeks of the summer semester in this program. The proposal process and deadlines for the program are on the Proposal Process page.

The purpose of the UAH RCEU program is to:

• engage undergraduate participants via hands-on, active participation in a research, creative, or scholarly project outside of their normal curricular program of study;
• foster one-on-one collaboration between undergraduate participants and a faculty or researcher staff mentor on the project;
• educate students in research and creative activity in their chosen academic fields
• offer professional development workshops to help guide the participant in leveraging their research, creative or scholarly experience;
• expose undergraduate participants to academic scholarship and scholarly works that are associated with the project; and
• provide a platform for undergraduate participants to present the results of their research or creative work to the UAH community.

Time Commitment

Students undertake activities within a research or creative work project typically lasting for 10 weeks in the summer and under the direct supervision of a UAH full-time faculty member or researcher (including tenure-earning and tenured faculty, lecturers, and research staff with term faculty appointments). 

Participants will be expected to participate to the extent needed to complete the project activities within the 10-week period. The project activities and time commitment are established by the project mentor. In general, the time commitment is inline with being enrolled in classes full time. 

Maintaining a part time job (<20 hours per week) on top of participating in the RCEU program can be handled by some students, while other students will struggle to meet obligations & deadlines. Know yourself and your limitations and don't overcommit. We recommend students not take on more than 20 hours per week of combined obligations outside of their project demands while participating in the RCEU program.  Students are limited to a maximum of 2 summer classes that overlap the RCEU program.  No obligations that regularly conflict with the RCEU program are allowed (internships, classes, jobs, etc).  You MUST be available to attend all RCEU sessions and work with your mentor as needed to complete the project. 

The official dates of the program correspond to the 10-week Summer Semester starting and ending dates. However, the individual project starting and ending dates, as well as the contact hours, can be flexible and should be decided individually between the participant and mentor in advance of starting the project.

Room & Board

Housing is not provided as part of the program, but will be available in University housing at the usual rates for summer occupancy. Meals will be available for purchase on campus. Students may use the stipend for meals and housing, but no additional funds will be available. The stipend will be made in two payments. 

Enrollment Requirements

To participate in the program, eligible candidates must be undergraduate students in good standing, who are enrolled in classes at UAH both the Spring Semester preceding the RCEU program and the Fall Semester following the program. Candidates who will graduate before the Fall semester following the program are not eligible. Students are limited to receiving the RCEU award once during their academic career. Candidates who have earned a Master’s degree or higher are not eligible for this program. International students are eligible to participate, see the outline of regulations, eligibility and expectations for full details.

Proposing mentors are requested to encourage female and minority student applicants.

Activities

Undergraduate students in the program participate under directed supervision of a project mentor during the 10 week RCEU program period. A non-exclusive list of possible activities includes laboratory experiments, musical compositions, field studies, clinical projects, engineering experiments and projects, theoretical work, human behavior studies, writing projects, and visual art projects.

RCEU students are expected to participate in the Shadowing Program if their mentor signs up for the event (Day/Time TBD).

Students are required to attend professional development sessions in the summer as part of the RCEU program. 

At the end of the program, students are required to present their work in one or more public forums and strongly encouraged to submit a manuscript for consideration to Perpetua, the UAH Journal of Undergraduate Research.

Acknowledgements

The program is funded by the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, the UAH Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, the Deans of the College of Science, the College of Engineering, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the College of Education, the College of Business, the College of Nursing and other sources as they become available.

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