Information for Students

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.

Student Eligibility

To be eligible for ARIA 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 an ARIA award in a previous year.

Arts Students cannot apply for an ARIA for an internship to be done under Faculty members in the following departments: Geography, Psychology, Computer Science, Mathematics and other Science-based departments. (Please see: http://www.mcgill.ca/science/ours/sura/ for information on the Science Undergraduate Research Awards.)

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

How the Program Works

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

1. Students must find a supervising professor or apply to a professor offering an opportunity
2. Students and their supervisors apply jointly for the ARIA, using the one application form (see the bottom of the page) 
3. The internship term lasts 11 weeks over the summer. Students will be expected to dedicate 30 – 35 hours/week to their Research Internship

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 time 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.

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 work. At the end of the summer, participating faculty members will be requested to provide feedback concerning their experience with the student and with the program as a whole.

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.

Finding a professor to intern with

There are a number of ways that students may find a professor to intern with:

• Students may approach professors directly for an opportunity to work with them over the summe. It is recommended to learn more about professors' current research by visiting their pges under their departmental website.
• Professors may solicit applications from students in class, on WebCT (MyCourses), or through their department

Please note: Only professors in departments within the Faculty of Arts are eligible to participate in ARIA.
Arts Students cannot apply for an ARIA for an internship to be done under Faculty members in the following departments: Geography, Psychology, Computer Science, Mathematics and other Science-based departments.(Please see: http://www.mcgill.ca/science/ours/sura/ for information on the Science Undergraduate Research Awards.)

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)