WestConn seeks applicants for biology fellowships

The Western Connecticut State University seeks student applicants for research fellowships in biology.

The fellowships take place in a summer program and offer the students an opportunity to work with mentors at the school.

College students who are interested in pursuing research studies in the biology field are invited to submit applications to the school’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, or SURF program.

The fellowships will be offered in 2022 by the Western Connecticut State University Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

Applications are being accepted from undergraduate students at any higher education institution, who meet academic requirements for participation, and who are willing to fulfill research commitments that average a minimum of 30 hours per week over an eight to 10 week period during the summer of 2022.

Applicants will compete for one of two fellowships with each grant paying a $4,000 stipend for research objectives that are established by the participating student’s faculty mentor.

Prior to submitting an application, the student must contact a Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences faculty member, who can commit to assisting the applicant in developing and defining a research project, and in writing a research proposal for submission to the department’s review committee. Applicants are advised to seek out mentors whose areas of research are most closely aligned with the students’ own research interests and career goals, and to do so as soon as possible.

The deadline for submission of all applications is Tuesday, March 15.

Early action to confirm a mentoring arrangement is also advised to allow sufficient time for the student to work with the faculty member in drafting a project proposal.

Fellowship awards from the program will be announced by Friday, April 15. Approved fellowship program projects will take place between May and August, with specific schedules to be determined by the mentor in consultation with the student researcher.

Prospective applicants may obtain complete information about eligibility requirements, the application process, research obligations, and available faculty mentors, and their areas of research specialization by accessing the department’s fellowship program website at wcsu.edu/biology/surf/.

Previous fellowship research projects’ information can be found at news.wcsu.edu/ wcsu-students-earn-surfawards-to-pursue-researchwith-faculty-mentors/.

Western Connecticut State University is located at 181 White St. in Danbury.