A research, scholarly, or creative internship working with an undergraduate student is a great way to mentor the next generation of students going into your field. Review the following information on requesting a funded Interns-to-Scholars position through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. Internships are granted on a yearly basis, with applications accepted in spring semester for internships the following academic year. Internship funding is used solely to pay interns who are paid $15.50/hour. An intern can be paid up to $2,790 (30 weeks x 6 hours/week x $15.50).
Applications to request an I2S student for Spring 2025 are now open until November 27. Apply here!
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General Information Tab Open
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Expectations of faculty mentors Tab Closed
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Completing the request Tab Closed
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After you apply Tab Closed
General Information Accordion Open
The I2S program aims to:
- Increase participation of undergraduate students from all disciplines in research, scholarly, or creative projects
- Introduce students who have limited experience in research, scholarly, or creative activity
- Generate student interest in inquiry by promoting the acquisition and/or generation of disciplinary knowledge
- Facilitate the intern’s development of techniques and skills within a particular discipline in “learning by doing”
- Faculty should NOT name a specific student as the intern in the request; the intention of I2S is to help establish new student-faculty relationships.
- It is not the intention of I2S to provide student workers as administrative, logistical, or instructional assistants. Projects consisting primarily of routine tasks without a disciplinary educational component will not be funded under this program.
How are intern request proposals selected for funding?
A limited number of internships will be available each year.
Priority is given to proposals that:
- Can reasonably be completed by an eligible undergraduate in the time specified
- Represent a wide variety of disciplines
- Will provide valuable research exposure to students within the college of the faculty mentor and
- Are from faculty who have not previously had an I2S student
Expectations of faculty mentors Accordion Closed
Faculty mentors will:
- Not use this internship to replace existing funding that supports undergraduates already involved in the faculty mentor’s scholarly, creative, or research activities.
- Not pre-select or promise this internship to students.
- Mentor the intern selected from the applicant pool throughout the internship period.
- Meet regularly with the intern; once a week in-person meetings are suggested.
- Complete an evaluation with the intern at the end of their contract.
- Be present on campus during the full term and not be on sabbatical.
- Be committed to mentoring the intern and committed to the education and training of the intern as a future member of the scholarly community.
- Lead by example and facilitate the training of the intern in complementary skills needed to be a successful researcher; these may include oral and written communication skills, the ethical conduct of research, and scientific professionalism.
- Encourage the intern to seek additional opportunities in career development training.
- Provide an environment that is intellectually stimulating, emotionally supportive, safe, and free of harassment.
- Be supportive, equitable, accessible, encouraging, and respectful throughout the internship, and foster the intern’s professional confidence and encourage critical thinking, skepticism, and creativity.
Completing the request Accordion Closed
Requests for a Spring 2025 intern will be accepted from November 6-27.
Requests for interns will not be accepted at any other time.
You will submit:
- Your contact information and department
- Project title
- A short description of the project
- List of other funding sources
- Describe what the student will do and learn
- Additional benefits to the student
- Additional qualifications
After you apply Accordion Closed
After the request deadline has passed, we hope to let you know if your position has been funded within two weeks.
Faculty Mentor FAQs
Who can apply for an intern? Accordion Closed
Faculty members in ALL colleges and schools are encouraged to submit requests for an undergraduate student intern if any of the following apply:
- You see yourself as a mentor who aims to engage motivated undergraduates in the research, scholarly, or creative process.
- You enjoy helping to create and develop undergraduate students’ potential.
- One of your goals is to increase the diversity and success of undergraduate students in your academic discipline.
How are internship proposals selected for funding? Accordion Closed
We do our best to accommodate as many proposals as possible. That said, our funding is limited and our goal is to have a diverse offering of projects across disciplines. Priority is given to new projects and new faculty who have not participated in the Interns-to-Scholars program.
Are there certain types of projects that receive priority for funding? Accordion Closed
We do not prioritize certain types of projects. Our goal is to have a diverse offering of projects across disciplines. Priority is given to new projects and new faculty who have not participated in the Interns-to-Scholars program.
How do I apply for an intern? What are the deadlines? Accordion Closed
You can apply for an intern through our website which will lead you to an external link, where you will fill out the information for your project. The deadline to apply for an intern for Spring 2025 is November 27, 2024 once the application opens on November 6, 2024.
Will you assign an intern to me or will I select the student? Accordion Closed
You will review student applications and interview potential candidates. Once you have selected the best candidate you will notify OURCA of your intern selection within three weeks of receiving applications so that we can get the student hired as quickly as possible for a smooth start at the beginning of the semester.
I am currently working with an undergraduate student. Can I submit a request for him/her? Accordion Closed
The goal of Interns-to-Scholars is to get students not currently involved in research into research positions. You can post a position and have the student you work with apply for the position along with everyone else. If you believe that the student is the best fit for the position that is fine, as long as you have thoroughly looked through the other applicants’ materials and made sure that there is not a better suited candidate for the position.
I already know an applicant. Does that prevent me from selecting that student as my intern? Accordion Closed
If you believe that the student is the best fit for the position that is great, as long as you have thoroughly looked through the other applicants’ materials and made sure that there is not another candidate better suited for the position.
How do I evaluate the student’s progress? Accordion Closed
OURCA supplies an end of the year assessment, however if you would like to evaluate the student’s progress throughout the year Career Services has an assessment that you can access for a performance appraisal.
What if my intern and I do not work well together? Accordion Closed
We understand that some people have a hard time working together. We encourage you to start by using the resources available for faculty mentors at nau.edu/ugr to ensure that you are communicating your concerns to your intern and providing them with constructive feedback that allows for improvement. Additionally, please let the OURCA staff know about the issues you are having so we may also provide resources to the student to assist in correcting any unwanted behaviors. If you feel as if you cannot work with your intern after multiple attempts to correct the unacceptable behavior, please contact the OURCA staff to determine the next steps.
Can I continue my project for an additional year with the same intern? Accordion Closed
No, we would like to offer this opportunity to as many students as we can.
What if I miss the deadline to request an intern? Accordion Closed
If you miss the deadline to request an intern, we cannot guarantee that your project will be considered for the upcoming academic year. You may email us and we can see what we can do to accommodate your request.
Can I submit a request for more than one research project? Accordion Closed
You may submit a request for more than one project, however due to funding we will only be able to fund one project at a time.
What if I would like to have an intern work for me during the summer? Accordion Closed
At the moment OURCA does not have funding for summer internships. We are happy to help you recruit students to work with you over the summer, but any funding will need to come from a different source.