Stetson Undergraduate Research Experience

One of the ways Stetson University fosters excellence in undergraduate programs is through the Stetson Undergraduate Research Experience (S.U.R.E.). Each year undergraduate scholars are selected in a university-wide competition for grants to work with a faculty mentor on a summer research project. This page describes the summer 2013 initiative and lists winners from previous years.

The program was supported as a pilot project during its first two years with Hollis Renaissance funds and is now supported directly by Stetson University, which gratefully acknowledges financial support of the program by a grant for summers from 2000 through 2010 from The Palm Beach Community Trust and by an endowment providing ongoing funding which was established by the Frueauff Foundation.

Announcement- Summer 2013

Stetson University is pleased to announce the availability of up to twelve undergraduate research internship positions for the summer of 2013. Applicants must select a faculty member to serve as a research mentor to help supervise the proposed research project. The summer research internship positions will be selected on a competitive basis. Students in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business Administration and the School of Music are invited to apply. Eligible students must have at least sophomore standing as of the spring 2013 semester and not be graduating until after the fall semster of 2013. The program provides a $2,000 stipend for research initiated over the eight-week summer session starting on May 15, 2013 and ending July 31, 2013. Students may also apply for up to $500 for research-related expenses (e.g., travel to the Folger Shakespeare Library) and for up to $500 for travel to an appropriate professional meeting to present research results. Students may also apply for free, optional summer housing on campus.

Program Expectations

  1. Each student will work closely with a faculty mentor on a research project on a full-time basis. This precludes taking courses in the summer session. The S.U.R.E. internship does not carry academic credit, and as such cannot solely be used to fulfill the senior research requirement in the College of Arts and Sciences. However, additional research which builds and extends on work done during the S.U.R.E. internship is permissible as the senior research topic.
  2. Each student is required to prepare a poster or oral presentation summarizing their research for their home department(s).
  3. Each student is expected to present the results of their research locally by delivering a 50-minute lecture to an appropriate class in their discipline, such as in a research seminar course. Each student is also expected to present the results of their research locally at the Stetson Showcase on April 16, 2013, following the summer of their grant. Applications for this event are made available during the month of March preceding the event and can be found at the Symposium website or from the undergraduate research committee. Each student is also expected to present the results of their research (either by delivering an oral presentation or participating in a poster session) at an appropriate regional or national meeting of their discipline during the 2013-2014 academic year. The $500 travel allowance is to be used for this purpose.
  4. Each student is required to write and submit an essay to evaluate their own personal summer research experience, including suggestions on program improvement. The chair of the undergraduate research committee will provide a set of guidelines for the essay to award recipients. The essay will be due November 15th, 2013.

SURE Grants (2011-2012)

  • Shannon Abelson, Tragedy and Separateness in J.M. Coetzee's Elizabeth Costello
  • Michael Cartledge, Communicating About Community at Hipster Church
  • Kai Eckenrode, Sustainability, Resilience, and the future of environmental rhetoric (Swisher)
  • Evan Foley, Simulating Multi-Soliton Interactions using Variational Approximations (Frueauff)
  • Tara Formisano, Inhibitory Effect of Curcumin on Cholesterol-dependent Inflammation in Human Macrophages (Frueauff)
  • Katie Moore, The Implementation of Sensor Networks and Virtual Environments to Promote Physical Fitness
  • Susan Moore, Unraveling the speech-to-sound illusion
  • Rachel Snider, Inhibitory Effects of Spices on Beta-Amyloid-Induced Inflammation via TLR4 in Microglia (Frueauff)
  • Chelsea Whalley, The effects of two modes of physical activity, aerobic exercise versus yoga, on academic achievement and cognitive function in college students (Frueauff)
  • Courtney Williams, Service Learning in Schools of Business: A Case Study of Stetson University's Business Curriculum

Previous S.U.R.E. scholars

Application Procedure

A completed application consists of:

  1. An electronic application, including a narrative description (not to exceed 1,500 words) of the goals and methodology of the proposed research project, including appropriate references, and written in accordance with the canons of the student's academic discipline. The narrative must minimally address: the purpose of the proposed research, the methods and procedures for achievement of the objectives and the form and dissemination of the research results. For those requesting research-related funds, an additional budget sheet should specifically outline both the amounts and purpose of those funds (e.g. travel, equipment, photocopying, etc.), up to and not to exceed $500.
  2. A 100-200 word abstract of your project, including your title, your name and your advisor's name. This abstract should summarize your project's essential content. It should be written so as to be understandable to a non-specialist in your field.
  3. An official copy of the student's Stetson University academic transcript (available from the Office of the Registrar).
  4. A letter of recommendation from the student's proposed faculty mentor, sent by the faculty member, using the online form.
  5. One additional letter of recommendation from someone familiar with the student's academic achievements and/or research experience and potential, using the online form.

Completed applications should be submitted online. The complete application package must be received by Dr. Reiter by Wednesday, March 13, 2013 to be considered. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of Stetson University faculty members. Successful applicants will be notified no later than Monday, April 15, 2013.