Ruth E. Weir Memorial Award for Research

The Ruth E. Weir Memorial Award for Research is awarded to qualified Arts and Sciences students engaging in summer research under the mentorship of ONU faculty.

Eligibility
You are eligible to apply for this award if you can answer yes to each of the questions below.

Have you graduated from an Ohio high school (including homeschool) located in either Hancock or Hardin County?
Are you pursuing a major in the Getty College of Arts and Sciences?
Do you currently possess a GPA of 2.5 or better?
Do you intend to engage in research at ONU this summer?
Have you spoken to your proposed research mentor, and does he or she approve of your intent to complete this research?
After engaging in the research this summer, will you have at least one semester remaining before graduation?

Once you have confirmed your eligibility, click here to access the online application.

Application components
A complete application consists of four components:

The online application form
A 1- to 2-page research proposal
A research budget developed by the student with the input and approval of the faculty mentor
A letter of support from the research mentor

Submission deadline
Submit the complete application by 4:30 p.m., Monday, March 17, 2014.

Award amount
Recipients will receive a $4,000 stipend for eight weeks of research and up to $500 for research-related expenses and supplies; the stipend will be allocated pro rata for projects of shorter duration.

Selection criteria
Awardees will be selected based on eligibility, quality of the application, commitment of the faculty mentor, and quality of the proposed research.

Preference will be given to students who maintain sole membership in the College of Arts and Sciences, but students who are members of other colleges may be eligible provided they have a dual major in the College or Arts and Sciences and the research is conducted under the guidance of an Arts and Sciences faculty member.

While eight-week projects are preferred, with the approval of the faculty mentor, students may propose research projects with durations from four (minimum) through eight (maximum) weeks.

Review and notification
The four-person Weir Award committee will read all applications and then forward the eligible applications with their recommendations to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for final approval. Applicants will be notified by early April of the status of their application.

Award obligations
Students selected for this award must maintain their 2.5 or better overall GPA until beginning the research. If the overall GPA drops below 2.5 after the student has been selected for the award but before he or she begins the research, that student's application may be re-evaluated.

Students selected for this award must engage in a four- to eight-week summer research project or return the awarded funds. The student is expected to treat the research as a full time job; therefore the student should not hold any other positions or jobs during the four to eight weeks of research.

Students selected for this award must present his or her research findings at the ONU Student Research Colloquium or another approved venue by the end of the academic year. If the student is graduating at the end of the fall term, the research must be presented before the student graduates. If the student fails to present his or her research, the student must return the awarded funds.

Any questions?
Please contact one of the members of the Weir Award committee.

Dr. Nicole Dickson, n-dickson.1@onu.edu, 419-772-2258
Ms. Mary Drzycimski-Finn, m-drzycimski-finn@onu.edu, 419-772-2987
Dr. Rema Suniga, r-suniga@onu.edu, 419-772-2323
Dr. Phillip Zoladz, p-zoladz@onu.edu, 419-772-2258