Culver Behavioral Science Research Fellowship
The Culver Mentor and Research Fellows program is an endowed program that supports undergraduate research and creative scholarship in the disciplines of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division. Specifically, these grants support projects in Communication, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Political Science, and Sociology. Projects from each of the Social and Behavioral Sciences disciplines are desired, but all must meet the criteria of fully engaging students in all aspects of the research process.
Faculty can apply to be Culver Mentors by submitting project proposals for completion during an academic year. Depending on yearly budgets, up to 6 awards may be given for each academic year and two or three across the division for an intensive summer research experience. Faculty are limited to one project per summer through Culver. Each faculty whose project is selected invites outstanding students to work with them as Culver Research Fellows. During the acadmic year, faculty must involve at least two students in their research. During the summer, faculty are limited to 1 to 3 students, depending on funding.
The goal of these fellowships is to have students engage in research or creative scholarship that is faculty-mentored and can be submitted to a regional or national conference, or journal with the Culver Fellows included as co-presenters or co-authors. The Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research is a solid option for the off-campus presentation, and the Journal of Integrated Social Sciences accepts high quality student-faculty authored manuscripts. Other off-campus presentation venues are linked on the Office of Research webpage under "Research Events and Conferences." Fellows must also present at either Festival of Scholars or at the Fall Undergraduate Research Conference on campus.
Culver Research Fellows receive 1-2 units of academic credit (496) per semester. Summer Research Fellows receive a $2,000 stipend with the expectation that they will work approximately 20 hrs per week for eight weeks on the summer project. Summer research students have the option for 8 weeks of discounted on-campus housing through the Office of Research summer undergraduate research program, if funds are available. Faculty compensation is $3000 for the academic year ($1500) and $1500 for the eight-week summer session. In addition, funds are available for supplies ($500 per project per year) and for both Mentor and Fellows to travel to present their research at a conference ($500 per project per year).
Summer Culver Fellows are expected to participate in the professional development workshops for research students through the Office of Research summer research program.
The application deadline for both the academic year beginning in the fall and for the summer session is March 1. If March 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, applications are due by 5:00 pm the following Monday.
Program Goals
The goal of the Culver Mentor and Research Fellows program is to have students engage in research that is faculty-mentored and presentable beyond the university. The quality of the mentoring from the faculty member is vital as the goal of this program is to advance the students in their professional and personal development. Projects across the range of disciplines in the Social and Behavioral Sciences are desired; the form of the project will necessarily vary depending on the nature of the research in the discipline. The common feature is that all projects are scholarly, with a focus placed on engaging the Culver Research Fellows in an educationally meaningful way as well as on producing a product that can be submitted for presentation or publication in a professional venue.
Applications
Proposals will be made through the Office of Research and should include:
- Overview of Research
- Research Timeline
- Student Learning Outcomes
- Estimated Consumable Costs
- Mentorship Plan and Approach
- Planned or Potential Conference Outlets or Journals for the Project
- Number of Students Involved
- Previous Research Student Outcomes (if applicable, and only list the previous 2 years)
Download application here. Email to Research@CalLutheran.edu when complete. Culver Application
Additional information and application rubric: Information and Rubric