The Honors Summer Research Program (HSRP)

Each year the Honors Program awards fellowships to a select group of Sweet Briar students to support them in conducting independent research projects under the supervision of a faculty member. The Summer Research Program is an eight week, on-campus program which brings together students and faculty from all disciplines. The program creates a unique academic experience for the participants by providing the opportunity for intensely focused research, a one-on-one working relationship with a faculty member, and weekly meetings and presentations by both faculty and students highlighting their ongoing research as well as research methodologies across the academic disciplines. Each Student Fellow receives a stipend and faculty sponsors receive an honorarium.

The 2008 Honors Summer Research Program will begin May 19, 2008 and continue through July 11, 2008. The first deadline in the application process is Friday, February 29, 2008. No later than that date, students must complete the "Intent to Apply" form online. The deadline for submitting completed applications is 12:00 noon on Friday March 21, 2008. Students awarded fellowships will be notified by the beginning of April.

Click here to view application information and schedule for 2008.

Students should have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and have completed at least one 200-level course relevant to the project. However, all interested students are encouraged to submit proposals.

Projects are undertaken and completed over eight weeks in the early summer. Students should treat this fellowship as a full-time commitment and plan on working 40 hours per week on the project. The student and her faculty sponsor together determine what the student will produce as the culmination of her research project. At the end of the program each student must turn in to the Honors Program and to her faculty sponsor the final product of her research project. The research papers will be published in a special issue of the Honors Journal.

Participating faculty and student attendance is required throughout the term at a series of weekly lunch presentations during which both faculty and students give talks on their research. Faculty members present their work during the first weeks of the program with later lunch meetings reserved for the students. Faculty sponsors should plan to have at least 10 contact hours with their students each week of the eight week program. Each faculty sponsor also is asked to submit a progress report on the student and the project midway through the program.

During the fall semester following the completion of the research project, each Fellow is required to make a presentation to the Sweet Briar community summarizing her research. This generally occurs at the Fall MARCUS conference held at Sweet Briar in October, and faculty sponsors are required to attend this presentation.

Limited funds are available to students to cover costs associated with their research (equipment, supplies, books, etc.) and campus housing is available during the eight week term.

Questions about the program may be directed to Dr. Rebecca Ambers, Director of the Honors Summer Research Program, rambers@sbc.edu, or to Julie Hemstreet, jhemstreet@sbc.edu.