Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research

The summer undergraduate research fellowship program is intended to support the undertaking of research projects and creative activities performed by undergraduates at Westminster College under the supervision of Westminster College faculty during a four-week or six-week period anytime between May and August.

The program is competitive with a limited number of students/faculty pairs selected to receive fellowships each summer. Applications for the Summer of 2024 are open! The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 27th, 2024 (before Easter Break) and recipients will be notified in early April. Please see the application link at the bottom of this page.

This year, we are holding three workshops in the spring for interested students:

Archival and Records Research, with Dr. Lahr. Tuesday, February 13th at 1:00 PM in Patterson 107: Learn how to build a research project centered on non-digital archives, record databases and learn how this sort of research could be carried out during the summer program. 

Summer Program Information Session, with Summer Fellowship recipients from previous years and Dr. Lackey. Thursday, February 29th, at 12:40 PM in the McKelvey Cultural Center: Meet students who have received the Fellowship in previous summers and learn about their experience, and get your questions about the program answered!

Summer Program Application Workshop, date TBD in March (after spring break) with Dr. Kalata: work with Dr. Kalata to put together the most competitive application you can for this year's fellowship! 

Funding: Individuals selected for the competitive Drinko Center Summer Research Fellowship Program will be provided the following compensation:

• Stipend for the undergraduate student $2,000 (four weeks) or $3,000 (six weeks)
• Stipend for the faculty mentor $1,000 (four weeks) or $2,000 (six weeks)
• On-campus housing for four or six weeks (Students who elect to live off-campus are not eligible for housing funds.)

Eligibility: The student must be currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student and be in good academic standing at Westminster College at the time of the fellowship application. Students who will graduate in May are NOT eligible for this program.

Students must identify and contact a mentor who is a current Westminster College Faculty member in advance of submitting an application. A mentor must agree to support your application, help you to develop and define a research project, and assist you in the writing of the research proposal.

Conditions: Students and Faculty selected to receive a summer research fellowship are subjected to the following conditions:

• During the Summer Fellowship Period:
  • Students must meet with their Faculty mentors a minimum of twice a week and keep a record of each of their meetings.
  • Students must write a summary of their project progress to be submitted to the Drinko Center no later than the first day of classes of the fall semester following the summer they completed their fellowship.
  • Students must complete the program evaluation form no later than the first day of classes of the fall semester following the summer they completed their fellowship.
  • Faculty must complete the program evaluation form no later than the first day of classes of the fall semester following the summer they completed their fellowship.
• Post Fellowship Period: 
  • Student fellowship recipients are required to present at the Professional Networking Symposium and to give an oral presentation promoting the summer fellowship program to students in their major in the fall semester following their summer research experience.
  • Student fellowship recipients are required to participate in the Undergraduate Research & Arts Celebration in the academic year following their summer research experience.