Information for Faculty Members

What is ARIA?

The purpose of the Arts Research Internship Award (ARIA) is to support undergraduate students who undertake research during the summer under the direct supervision of a faculty member. The Faculty of Arts will provide 19 undergraduate Research Internship Awards, each with a value $2000, for Summer 2012. These awards are matched by individual faculty members or their departments to provide a total award of $4000 to the student.

Eligibility

Participating professors must be full-time faculty members in the Faculty of Arts and should be able/willing to contribute $2000.00 (from a grant) towards the research internship award.

Faculty members in Science-based departments such as Geography, Psychology, Computer Science and Mathematics should consult: http://www.mcgill.ca/science/ours/sura/for information on the Science Undergraduate Research Awards.

Student eligibility

Students must:

• be enrolled in an undergraduate program in the Faculty of Arts (BA or BASc)
• have completed U1 by Summer 2012
• be returning to undergraduate studies in Fall 2012
• Students may not apply if they have received the ARIA in a previous year.

Benefits

For the student:

• The opportunity to engage in a high level of scholarship, valuable in preparation for graduate studies
• The opportunity to gain skills related to methods of inquiry in their discipline
• The opportunity to receive academic mentorship from a faculty member

For the Faculty member:

• Increased participation of keen undergraduate students in faculty research
• An opportunity to provide mentorship

How the Program Works

The following steps outline how the program works from the professor's point of view:

1. Professors seek out students to assist with their research by soliciting for applications in class or, through their departments. 
2. Each department and institute will be given an initial quota of awards to disburse.
3. Professors and their selected students apply jointly for the ARIA, using the same application form (see the bottom the page). These applications are to be submitted to the Arts Internship Office (AIO) for processing and are redistributed to the departments for selection.
4. The students' internship term will last 11 weeks over the summer. Students will be expected to dedicate 30 – 35 hours/week to their Research Internship.

The Role of the Faculty Member

Faculty members are asked to identify potential applicants for this program, to discuss opportunities related to their own research with interested students and to prepare a brief statement of the specific work that the student they choose to mentor will undertake, and the benefits that s/he will gain in engaging the research. By co-signing the application, faculty members agree to supervise the internship. At the end of the summer, we will ask for participating faculty members' feedback concerning their experience with the student and with the program as a whole.

The faculty member agrees to pay $2000 toward the $4000 award. By signing the application form, the Department Chair agrees to support the funds.

The Role of the Student

The student’s role is to support the research of their supervising professor by undertaking a specific research internship project. Internship projects differ quantitatively and qualitatively from research assistantships. Students are given long term, in depth tasks requiring thoroughness, self-discipline, personal initiative, and critical input into the professor’s research. At the start of the project term, students should meet with their supervisor to outline expectations and responsibilities, including:

• A student internship plan and project timeline
• A meeting schedule

The students should maintain a work log.

Award recipient responsibilities:

• Thank you card to award donor: many of the awards are provided thanks to the gifts of McGill Alumni.  Award recipients are asked to write a brief note of thanks to their donor.
• One month report: ARIA recipients are asked to submit a 1 page report to the Arts Internship Office one month through the internship summarizing the project(s) they are working on and discussing any successes or challenges they have had during the first month.
• Final report: ARIA recipients must submit a final report and feedback form at the end of their internship discussing their learning over the summer.
• Undergraduate Research Event: All ARIA students are asked to participate in the Annual Undergraduate Research Event to share their experience with the McGill community.

Award Payment

Students will receive their award payment from the academic department of the supervising professor. The award will be disbursed in four installments over the summer. The schedule of payment may vary depending on the department.

Academic Credit for Students

Students may have the opportunity to gain academic credit related to their ARIA project by enrolling in and meeting the requirements of one of the following courses in the Fall term, as applicable in their program of study:

• Applying their research toward an Undergraduate Honours Thesis supervised by the same professor
• Towards an internship course credit (----499, 599, etc.) supervised by the same professor (Please see the internship course credit page.)
• Towards an independent study/reading course supervised by the same professor

Note: This is subject to the professor's availability to supervise an individual course for credit during the Fall term. Students should discuss options for credit with their supervising professor prior to beginning the summer research internship. Academic work completed for credit would be separate from, and in addition to, work done during the ARIA summer term.

Annual Arts Undergraduate Research Event

ARIA participants are asked to participate in the Annual Arts Undergraduate Research Event during the year following their ARIA work. For information on this year's event see: www.mcgill.ca/arts-undergraduate-research/event.

Application Form and Deadline

Summer 2012 Deadline: March 26, 2012.

ARIA Application Form 2012 

For more information contact:

Anne Turner or Mat Lyle
Faculty of Arts Internship Office
Leacock Building, Room 307
anne [dot] turner [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Anne Turner)
aio [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Mat Lyle)