First-Year Scholars

• Full-time KSU faculty members and postdoctoral researchers who are interested in mentoring a first-year student are eligible to apply. 
• Mentors may only submit one project as the Primary Investigator (PI).
• Selection is competitive; you will be notified if you have been selected within two weeks of the deadline. 
• PI funding will become available after the students have been selected. 

Thank you for your interest in serving as a mentor to a first-year student! We appreciate your dedication to student engagement. We hope that you and your student(s) have an amazing year and that the research partnership continues after this first year.

Below are a few guidelines regarding mentoring First-Year Scholars:

• Remember that they are in their first year – be nice! :)
• Keep expectations reasonable (the students likely have no background in research)
• Integrate them into existing work and with other team members if applicable (e.g., other faculty mentors on the project, postdocs, grad students, other undergrad researchers)
• Aim for presentations/publications as appropriate
• PIs are not obligated to work with their first-year scholars past May, but we encourage you to continue working with them if the experience has been positive

As a mentor to a First-Year Scholar, you will be responsible for ensuring that each student in the program:

• works on the project for an average of 5-10 hrs/week
• presents at the Symposium of Student Scholars in April

You will also be required to attend mandatory orientation sessions, complete progress reports, and  submit end of semester evaluation forms. If you do not complete these forms, you may not be eligible for future funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research - please email our@kennesaw.edu if you have any questions. 

• OUR will coordinate with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness to track Retention, Progression, and Graduation (RPG) rates for participating students.
• Mentors and first-year scholars will be surveyed regarding impact on research productivity.

• Hathaway, R. S., Nagda, B. A., & Gregerman, S. R. (2002). The relationship of undergraduate research participation to graduate and professional education pursuit: An empirical study. Journal of College Student Development, 43, 614-631.
• Nagda, B. A., Gregerman, S. R., Jonides, J., von Hippel, W., & Lerner, J. S. (1998). Undergraduate student-faculty research partnerships affect student retention. The Review of Higher Education, 22, 55-72.
• Schneider, K. R., Bickel, A., & Morrison-Shetlar, A. (2015). Planning and implementing a comprehensive student-centered research program for first-year STEM undergraduates. Journal of College Science Teaching, 44(3), 37-43.

• Students must be in their first year of college at KSU.
• Students must be enrolled at KSU with fewer than 30 transfer credits (not including AP and dual enrollment credits).
• Students interested in applying will complete an application on the InfoReady platform.

• To remain in the First-Year Scholars Program in the Spring, students must be enrolled in classes and in good academic standing.
  • Student participation in the Spring is at the discretion of the PI and the Office of Undergraduate Research.
• To receive stipend payments each semester, students in the First-Year Scholars Program are expected to participate in mandatory orientation sessions, attend events and/or workshops hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Undergraduate Research Peer Ambassadors. Requirements vary for each semester, and can be found here.
• The project must be presented at the Symposium of Student Scholars in April
  • All First-Year scholars must submit a project abstract via the Symposium application by the deadline date, in order to present
    
    • The Undergraduate Research Peer Ambassadors will host a workshop on How to Write an Abstract. All students are encouraged to attend.
• Progress Reports, mid-year surveys, and end of semester evaluation forms must be submitted on time to the Office of Undergraduate Research.
• Students who would like more information or training about undergraduate research topics are encouraged to register for workshops, read the online resources, and watch the online videos.
  • These activities are optional, although mentors may require their students to engage in these activities. 

Students who drop out of the program may not be eligible for future funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research. Please email our@kennesaw.edu for more information.

• Before starting on the application, make sure you know the name of the project(s) you'd like to apply to. View the listing of upcoming projects.

To help you prepare for the application, the questions you will be asked in the application portal are listed below:

1. Your name
2. Your KSU email address
3. Your major
4. Title of the project you are applying for (this will be a drop-down menu with each project listed).
   • You are encouraged to apply for multiple projects if you want, but you will need to complete separate applications for each project.
   • Please note that you will only be permitted to work on one (1) project as part of the First-Year Scholars Program.
5. Relevant Prior Experience (500 words max).
   • For example: involvement in clubs, work experience related to this project, internships, previous research experiences [even in a different discipline], coursework related to the project, coursework related to research methodology, coursework on statistics/data analysis, etc.
6. Statement of Interest (500 words max).
   • For example: Why are you interested in this specific project? How do you see this project influencing your college career? What are your career aspirations?
   • We encourage you to tailor this section to the project to which you are applying.