- Read the DUOS program guidelines below carefully.
- Upload your document as a single PDF file. Include the application, original proposal, and comments from the graduate student faculty advisor. You will be notified about the status of your application by the end of the fall semester.
- Apply by 5 p.m. on Mon., Oct. 14, 2024.
Guidelines
Application Formatting and Requirements
Assemble Your Documents in This Order
- Two-page application form
- Three-five page DUOS proposal
- The supervising faculty member’s one-page of written comments about:
- The quality of the proposed project
- The undergraduate’s authorship of the project
- The capability of the graduate student to mentor the undergraduate
Label your proposal sections as described below.
Page Margins 1"; font-size at least 11 points.
Required Application PDF File Naming Format
Follow this pattern:
duos-23-app-undergrad unique id _ grad student unique id.Example:
duos-23-app potterhj_dumblea.pdfRequired Proposal Section Headings
Make sure to address each of these issues concisely:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Attributes Statement
- In the proposal, include a statement about how the proposal addresses DEI attributes and mentioned it in the abstract as well. In keeping with broader university-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, the Office of Research for Undergraduates (ORU) ask you to identify research, scholarship, or creative activities in the areas of social justice, human rights, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Clearly state your research question and discuss what you intend to accomplish, achieve, or determine by completing your project. What work have you or others already done on this problem? You should include a statement of hypothesis or of the creative question at issue.
- Describe the materials you will utilize, the manner in which you will approach your project and the major steps involved in completing your effort. Explain how your intended creative techniques or research methods are appropriate for accomplishing your stated goals.
- Discuss how you will analyze your results and interpret them or how you will present and critique your final product. Explain the significance of the intended achievements or results to the original project goals.
- Review the list of DUOS program benefits in these guidelines and discuss. What preparation does the undergraduate bring to this project? What skills/knowledge will the undergraduate gain by conducting the project, and how does this fit into the overall educational/career goals of the student?
- What experience/preparation does the graduate student mentor have for supervising this project? Preference will be given to graduate students who can document prior research collaboration with a faculty member. Describe the expected manner, form, and frequency of the interactions between the undergraduate scholar and graduate mentor for the duration of the project.
- Provide a detailed budget and explain why these items are needed for your project. Why is it realistic to complete the project, given the time frame and program funding limits?
Project Timeline
The program is highly competitive. In preparing the application, the graduate student mentor should assist the undergraduate to generate a well-written proposal that can be understood by an educated person who is not a specialist in the field. Graduate students should strive to provide a meaningful and appropriate undergraduate student experience.
- Oct. 14, 2024, Online Application Deadline
- In Mid-November 2024, the ORU coordinator emails applicants about the funding decision.
- April 26, 2025, Student and Grad Student investigator submit a final project report.
- Request a no-cost extension to complete the research by April 19, 2025.
- The final report due date for an extended project is Nov. 15, 2025.
Proposal Evaluation Criteria
The DUOS review committee, chaired by Gary A. Lorigan professor of chemistry, considers the following criteria during proposal evaluation:
- Readability/clarity of the proposal and its conformity to the required format
- Quality of experiences proposed by applicants, including the significance of the problem to be addressed, the clarity of linkage between problem and method/creative process, the feasibility of the project in terms of the partners’ skills, time, and budget, and educational value to the undergraduate student.
- Quality and appropriateness of the mentorship supervision and interactions proposed
- Distribution of awards across disciplinary areas
Graduate Student Requirements
Note: A single graduate student can be listed as a prospective mentor on ONLY one application.
An eligible graduate student under the supervision of a faculty mentor (who has agreed to oversee the research project) will collaborate with a specific (eligible) undergraduate student in developing a research proposal to submit to the DUOS Program. If funded, the project will be conducted in the spring semester.
The graduate student must be willing and able to provide appropriate supervision and mentorship of the undergraduate with whom she or he has elected to be paired. The program is not intended to support graduate student supervision of undergraduates who are doing menial tasks in service of the graduate student's research.
The graduate student should assist the undergraduate to develop a proposed project that qualifies as research or other creative endeavor that will add to the sum of human knowledge and contribute to the growth of the scholarly or creative capability of the undergraduate scholar. Submit your final draft to the supervising faculty member at least two weeks prior to the application deadline for review and feedback.
The Faculty Mentor's Role and Responsibilities
Certification of the Project and the Researchers
In order for the project to be funded, the supervising faculty member is required to certify he/she is willing to oversee the research project.
The faculty mentor will write a one-page statement that addresses the following:
- The quality of the proposed project
- The undergraduate’s authorship of the project
- The capability of the graduate student to mentor the undergraduate
This signed statement MUST be included in the Application document PDF file the undergrad student submits.
Compliance with University and Federal Research Regulations
It is the responsibility of the graduate student’s faculty advisor to ensure that all required regulatory committee approvals (human subjects, vertebrate animals, radioisotopes, or recombinant DNA) are obtained prior to the start of the project.
Independent Study Credit
If the supervising faculty member determines it is appropriate for the undergraduate student to receive independent study credit for his/her conduct of the project, then the faculty member will serve as the instructor of record for that independent study.
Graduate Mentor and Undergraduate Student Eligibility
Graduate Student Mentor Eligibility
You need an advanced (post-master's) grad student from one of Miami's doctoral departments: Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Educational Leadership, Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Microbiology, English (Rhetoric and Composition), Political Science, Gerontology, or Psychology.
Ask faculty members whose work interests you if they can refer you to an appropriate grad student. The program is open to all full-time post-master's doctoral students at Miami University. If the graduate student's program does not offer a master's degree, students must be in at least their second year of graduate study.
Preference will be given to graduate students who can document prior research collaboration with a faculty member. A grad student can be listed as a prospective mentor on just one application with an undergrad student.
Undergraduate Student Eligibility
An undergraduate student can be listed as a prospective mentee on just one application with a grad student.
Application to the program is open to any Miami University undergraduate student who holds a minimum 2.75 GPA and is otherwise in good standing (not on probation, etc.).
The student must also be willing to collaborate with the graduate student to complete the project and communicate the results of that work to the scholarly community.
An undergraduate student can receive only one DUOS award during their academic career.
Required Mentor-Mentee Scholarly Context Training
ORU staff will schedule training covering expectations for collaborators' roles and responsibilities in an apprentice/mentor partnership.
Expect the training to occur the week after awards are announced.
Intellectual Property and Invention Ownership
Miami University will own intellectual property and inventions developed during the research.
By signing the DUOS application form, all participants agree they will NOT be entitled to any compensation or royalties for the intellectual property developed through this research. Disclosure of inventions and intellectual property must be made during the research process using a Miami University Invention Disclosure form. Contact staff in the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) 529-3600.
Final Project Report and Presentations
Project final reports are due by April 26, 2025.
Use the DUOS proposal section headings to create your final narrative report about the conduct and outcomes of the research collaboration. The graduate student may request a no-cost extension of the funding end date if warranted. Send an email with a clear justification to Fabienne Bohon, Undergraduate Research Coordinator, who will process the request.
It is expected that the undergraduate and graduate students will produce a product (paper, oral presentation, poster, artwork, portfolio, model, etc.) as a result of their joint project. The undergraduate student and graduate mentor at the beginning of the student's participation should agree as to the purpose and form of this product. The undergrad student will be expected to present this product, if appropriate, at Miami's annual spring Undergraduate Research Forum.
Online registration will open in Feb., 2025. In addition, it is strongly encouraged that partners aim toward regional, national, and international presentation, performance, and dissemination of their work.
Program Benefits
- Focus on an undergraduate learning the processes of research and scholarship under the supervision of a graduate student mentor.
- Training for the graduate and undergraduate student pair about the expectations for their roles as mentor and mentee in a research partnership.
- Enhances graduate student research programs by the participation of talented undergraduates.
- Enables doctoral students to enhance their skills as mentors of undergraduate scholars.
- An undergraduate student may earn independent study credit, if appropriate.
- Adds a distinctive scholarly experience, shown to increase student intellectual maturity, to undergraduate education.
- Increases the availability of graduate students as role models for undergraduate students.
- Encourages both the graduate student and undergraduate student to become more reflective about their role and responsibilities in the apprentice/mentor relationship.
- Creates the basis for future job application materials documenting graduate students' experiences/achievements in their role as research mentors.
- Publicly recognizes graduate students who are making an effort to enhance their performance as research mentors.
- Enhances the university community's awareness and appreciation of the synergy between graduate and undergraduate programs.
- Clearly links scholarship and teaching at the University.
- Serves as a model program that other graduate schools may emulate.
