The Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment’s MUIR program provides stipends of $6,400 to full- and part-time Stanford undergraduate students to conduct interdisciplinary environmental research for 10 weeks during the summer. All Stanford faculty members are invited to apply on behalf of undergraduates at all levels and from all departments. Funding priority goes to proposals submitted by Stanford Woods Institute fellows, lecturers and affiliated faculty. Students wishing to initiate a project must approach a faculty member who is willing to apply on the student's behalf. 
 

Students who participate as researchers in the program are required to: 

1. Enroll in a one-unit course Research Preparation for Undergraduates (EARTH 100) in spring term. 
    
2. Participate in the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education’s Symposia of Undergraduate Research and Public Service (SURPS or ASURPS) by submitting an abstract and creating a poster.  SURPS is held in October on homecoming weekend.  ASURPS is held in April over Admit Weekend.
    
3. Fill out a program evaluation at the end of the program. 
    
4. Attend a lunch seminar series during the summer term (when on campus) that will include lectures by faculty and workshops on poster-making and oral presentations. The seminar series is held in conjunction with the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. 
    
5. Sign a form indicating they understand the requirements of the program, including attending the spring course and the summer seminars and presenting a poster at one of the VPUE Symposia.

Faculty mentors are required to: 

1. Meet at least every other week with the undergraduate mentor to advise and adjust the student’s work plan as needed during the course of the summer. 
    
2. Participate by giving a talk in the summer lunch seminar series or spring course, if invited.
    
3. Attend a dinner for faculty mentors and undergraduate researchers to be held by Buzz Thompson at the beginning of the summer.
    
4. Sign a form agreeing to be an active mentor to the undergraduate and to provide a research experience that includes application of research methods, analysis and synthesis of results.  The stipends provided under this program are not intended for undergraduates to complete administrative or clerical work, though undergraduates can expect to do some such work in support of their research project.

Faculty Applications: 

Faculty applications should describe the interdisciplinary research planned, the tasks the undergraduate will perform, what the student will glean from the work and the qualifications needed by the student. Applications also should list any researchers other than the applying faculty member with whom the student will interact during the course of his or her research and discuss how much interaction the applying faculty member will have with the student over the course of the summer.

Faculty members are strongly discouraged from proposing research projects without first identifying a student with whom to work on the project. If a faculty member cannot, the Stanford Woods Institute can assist in, but cannot guarantee, identifying potential applicants. The faculty mentor will make the actual selection of the student to work on the project. 

The Stanford Woods Institute encourages faculty to cost-share when possible, so that we can accommodate as many students as possible in the program. Please note that the Woods Institute’s MUIR program does not fund research directly related to honors or senior projects or theses. The program is intended to provide students with mentoring while they support faculty research.

The application period closed Tuesday, March 1, 2016.

 

Related Documents:

MUIR FAQs 2016